It sure has been a while since a posted a recipe here. I’ll keep it short and sweet lest I raise the ire of the people who get upset about long form narrative blogs of days gone by.
This is absolutely one of my family’s favourite dinners. All the kids love it which is such a relief since making a meal that pleases three kids of varying degrees of pickiness is exhausting.
Just a couple notes on the ingredients – pancetta can be a pricey item so feel free to reduce the amount used to stretch it a bit. You can get it at the deli counter or pre-packaged in cubes which is what I usually do. If you get it cut at the deli counter be sure to get very thick pieces that you can cube yourself. If you can’t find pancetta, use a couple pieces of regular bacon. You may need to drain some bacon grease but I will leave that up to your taste. I probably wouldn’t drain it since it would only be a small part of the dish of quite a bit of pasta.
If you don’t have broccoli or don’t like it, you can substitute other greens such as spinach or kale in its place. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly since leafy greens don’t take very long to cook.
Pasta with Pancetta and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 4-5 cups broccoli florets
- 500 grams pasta (bowtie or penne)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 150 grams cubed pancetta (you can use less)
- 1 cup cooked chicken (such as from a rotisserie chicken – this is optional)
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup whipping cream (35% cream)
- 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
- pinch pepper
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
Instructions
- Set a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.
- Wash and prepare the broccoli florets by cutting them into your preferred bite size pieces.
- Put a large deep pan on medium heat and add the olive oil and pancetta. Frequently turn the pancetta in the oil and the pancetta fat that is rendering out so that it browns evenly. Browning the pancetta will take 8-10 minutes.
- When the pancetta is nearly done, put the pasta on to boil. Depending on the type you are using this could take 9-12 minutes. Follow the package instructions so as not to overcook it and let it get mushy.
- Add the chicken and the garlic to the pancetta and let it cook for a minute or two. Add in a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add the white wine and let most of the alcohol boil off. Then add the cream. Depending on when you put the pasta on, this is where you could turn the pan off and hold the dish so that the broccoli doesn’t overcook while the pasta cooks.
- Add the broccoli florets to the pancetta and cream mixture and put the lid on the pan. Let the broccoli steam in the cream sauce for 6-8 minutes.
- When the pasta is done, reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water in case you need it to loosen the sauce later. Drain the pasta and add it to the pancetta and broccoli. Stir it in well to get it well coated and add the grated parmesan. Taste the pasta to see if more salt is needed. Add a bit of pasta water if it needs a bit more liquid to help coat the pasta and broccoli with the cream sauce. It is not a runny sauce so don’t add too much. Serve with extra parmesan.
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