Broccoli Pasta

There's something so comforting about this dish - it's my go to after a long day of greengrocering - I get my veggies in but also get the comfort of pasta, garlic and cheese. I can't recommend this broccoli pasta recipe enough. ESPECIALLY with a top notch UK grown broccoli!

Ingredients - Serves 4
1 Broccoli (or 250-350g purple sprouting/tenderstem)
4 Servings Spaghetti, or pasta of your choice (see packet - usually 70-90g each)
4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 Cloves Garlic, minced or grated
Half a teaspoon of chilli flakes
Salt
Half a cup of hard italian cheese, pecorino, parmesan or grana padano (or veggie/vegan alternative).
Vegan option: You could also use oat cream and nooch and serve with 'I Am Nut OK - Oh Grate' in store!
Black Pepper

Tip: add extra veggies to really get your plants in - eg mushrooms, onion or caramelised leeks.

Method

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Chop your broccoli into bite sized florets, and chop the stems into 1cm bite size pieces. Cook the broccoli in the boiled water for around 10 minutes, you want it very tender. Remove broccoli from the water with a slotted spoon - keep this water on the boil.
2. In another wide large pan, saute the garlic in the olive oil on a low heat. After 2-3 minutes, add the chilli flakes, and stir for another 30 seconds. Add the broccoli to the pan, and sautee it for a short while whilst the pasta cooks.
3. Cook the pasta in the salted broccoli water, until cooked al dente. Remove 1 cup of this water for the sauce.
4. Pour 1 cup of broccoli/pasta water to the garlic and broccoli pan. Mash the broccoli a little with your spoon to make a thicker sauce.
5. Add pasta to the broccoli pan, and remove from the heat.
6. Add cheese, mix well.
7. Taste, and decide if it requires salt and pepper - the cheese may already be salty enough!

Serve with extra cheese, a drizzle of oil or fresh basil.