Pasta and Broccoli in Olive Oil with Anchovies and Almonds

This recipe comes with a story. About a year ago an Australian Chef was cooking on a television cooking show. He was making Pasta with Broccoli in Olive Oil. What caught my eye was the fact that he added a few anchovies to the olive oil and sort of let them melt into the oil. He swore the anchovies would not overpower the taste of the sauce but would add richness and depth to the Broccoli and Olive Oil. To make a long story short – my oldest daughter and her boyfriend were joining us for dinner and that seemed to be a perfect time to try this recipe. Needless to say it was a great success, served it with garlic bread and a simple green salad and it has been a favorite meal ever since. By the way, the original recipe had zucchini and additional herbs. This recipe is quick and simple. 

HINT: up until about 2 months ago I always discarded the thick broccoli stems, found out one day that my youngest daughter and my youngest sister both loved the stems – so now they are peeled, sliced or chopped and used.

[Rating - easy]
[Servings: 4 servings as a main course or 6 servings as a side dish]
Preparation time:
15 minutes to cut and chop. 20 minutes to cook.

Ingredients:

Half package of spaghetti or any long pasta [of course, you can use any type of pasta you prefer, I like to stab a piece of broccoli and then wind the pasta around my fork]

1 medium size head of broccoli (about 2½ cups of florets and about 1 cup stem, peeled, and cut into small pieces)

2½ cups of Broccoli florets

1 cup broccoli of stems - trimmed and chopped 

4-6 cloves of garlic - sliced

4-6 tablespoons Olive oil

1 tablespoon of Chili flavored oil (optional)

2-4 small anchovies

2-3 tablespoons of almonds slivers

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Kosher salt

Grated Parmesan Reggio or Peccorino Cheese

(top) salt and black pepper; olive oil; anchovies and chili oil; sliced garlic(bottom) Pasta

Preparation:

·  Cook the pasta as directed [cook until al dente]

·  Gently melt the anchovies in the oil [see below]

Olive Oil - anchovies just added

Olive Oil with melting anchovies

· Add the garlic and the broccoli stems

· Stir occasionally for about 5 to 8 minutes until they begin to soften

·  Add the broccoli florets

·  When broccoli starts to soften
·  Add the black pepper and the slivered almonds 

Almonds slivers

·   Stir together for about 10 minutes 
  [or until the broccoli florets start to soften]

·   Add the pasta into the pan with the broccoli mixture – mix well

·   Place on serving dish

Almost ready

 ·  Generously add grated cheese and sprinkle with kosher salt to taste

Grate this over the Pasta and Broccoli for the finishing touch
{Thank you Peter and Loredana for this thoughtful gift}

Pasta and Broccoli in Olive Oil with Anchovies and Almonds

Serve with a simple green salad and garlic bread.

Note: a few grains of kosher salt enhances the flavors without making this dish too salty; the almonds give the recipe a bit of a crunch; the chili flavored oil adds a whisper of a tang while the anchovies add depth to the sauce – without overpowering the flavor of the Broccoli. If you are lactose intolerant then leave out the cheese and add a few more grains of kosher salt.

Nava's Moroccan Soup (Harira)

This soup is my sister-in-laws take on Harira, a Moroccan soup basically made with tomatoes and lentils. The soup is mild in seasoning but thick, filling and most of all delicious. Don't let the number of ingredients or cooking time put you off - it is really worth the effort. The soup is simple to make - and is usually eaten to break the fast. There are many variations, some include meat. One note of caution - don't add too many noodles as they tend to expand and overtake the rest of the ingredients. We consider this a meal in bowl and eat it with fresh bread. 

  

[Rating – easy]

[Servings: 8 to 10 hardy bowls of soup]

Preparation time: 

20 minutes to cut and assemble the ingredients

Cooking time: 

Approximately 2 hours from start to eating!

(clockwise - Chopped tomatoes, chopped fresh coriander, diced onions,
diced carrots, black lentils, short flat egg noodles,
diced celery and (ctr) chickpeas

 Ingredients:

¾ cup fresh chickpeas (soaked overnight) or ¾ cup canned chickpeas

¾ cup black lentils (soaked for an hour)

4 tablespoon oil

2 large onions - chopped

2 large tomatoes - peeled and chopped

1 carrot - peeled and diced

4 celery stems - diced

½ cup rice

1 large handful of fresh coriander - chopped

Spices:

1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons black pepper, 1 tablespoon turmeric, 1 tablespoon soup mix or 2 cubes, 1 tablespoon of sweet paprika; 

Optional spices: ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper and/or ginger and or cinnamon 

1 large tablespoon regular flour (dissolved in ½ cup of cold water)

½ cup angel hair pasta/short egg noodles

Juice of ½ lemon (substitute about ¼ cup of bottled lemon juice)

Preparation:

·       Cook the chickpeas in a separate pot for ½ hour – cool and peel off the skin. (I usually substitute canned chickpeas, you will still need to peel off the skin) (see photo)

Skinless chickpeas (skins on right)

·  Fry the onions in the oil and add the tomatoes, carrot and celery

Onions, tomatoes, carrots and celery frying

 · Add the chickpeas, lentils and 8 cups of water. 

Chickpeas and lentils added

Mix Chickpeas and lentils 

· Cook for 1 hour (add water if needed)  

Short flat egg noodles (add last), chopped fresh coriander, 
rice, spices, lemon (add last)

      · Add the rice, coriander and spices. Mix well and cook for 15 minutes.

Soup with fresh coriander and rice added

Vegetables, lentils, rice, carrots
 and celery  cooking

·       Mix the flour in ½ cup of cold water & add to the soup.
·       Mix well.

flour and water mix

·       Add noodles and juice from ½ lemon or ¼ cup of bottled lemon juice.

·       Close the heat and let rest of 30 minutes.

 Nava's Moroccan Soup (Harira)