Has this ever happened to you? You see a recipe, have the ingredients (more or less) but by the time you go to make it, the key ingredient has vanished? This pasta recipe was on my radar, but by the time I went to make it the salami had disappeared. Serves 4:
Pasta with Salami Breadcrumbs and Broccoli
- 1 pound orecchiette or other short pasta
- Salt and pepper
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ounces sliced salami, cut into ¼” pieces (½ cup)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup finely chopped white onion
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small to medium head broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- ¼ cup chopped chives
Boil pasta in a pot of salted water according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water and drain. Set the pot aside for finishing the dish.
Meanwhile, in a 12” nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add salami and breadcrumbs and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are golden and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and the onion to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add broccoli, drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but with some texture left, 5 minutes.
Return the drained pasta to the pasta pot and add the broccoli mixture, butter, red pepper and 1 cup of the reserved pasta water. Cook over medium, stirring vigorously, until most of the liquid is absorbed and pasta is evenly coated in the sauce, 1 to 2 minutes, adding more of the reserved pasta water if a saucier pasta is desired. Turn off heat, add lemon juice, cheese and chives and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta among bowls and top each with some of the salami breadcrumbs and more cheese. Serve and enjoy!
My verdict:
Really good and a great excuse to have some salami lying around the fridge! It’s easy and by the time your pasta is cooked, the broccoli and salami breadcrumbs will be ready. I used the pan the broccoli cooked in and added the cooked pasta to it. Next time, I might cook the broccoli longer, so it was soft like a great pasta I had recently where the broccoli was cooked until it almost melted away. A little lemon zest along with the juice would be a nice addition. And maybe some more breadcrumbs.
Crisping up some prosciutto instead of, or along with, the salami could be a nice touch. Actually, any left over charcuterie would probably work well (if there is such a thing).
If you wanted to make it vegetarian, how about swapping out some pine nuts for the salami and adding more breadcrumbs?
