3 Pot Rigatoni with Roman Broccoli Sauce
Have you ever read a recipe and thought this sounds great but they way they do it is just strange. This one is another refugee from the good folks at MilkStreet, at least that is how it started out. Three pots and a blender!!! I also messed with the ingredients some to suit my pallet. It sounds complicated but it really isn’t as difficult to cook as it is tasty. As always, to simplify things, have all your ingredients ready before you start.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoons lemon zest
Juice from one lemon
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1 tsp of minced garlic, or two cloves chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
12-16 oz of Rigatoni pasta
1 bunch of fresh spinach, washed and stems trimmed
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1-2 oz Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1- 1.5 lbs of Fresh Broccoli(3 good size heads) stems and florets separated
1/3 cup dry while wine
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot,(call it Prep Pot #1) bring 4 quarts water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil.
- In the Assembly Pot, add butter and mushrooms on medium low heat. Stirring occasionally.
- Peel the broccoli stems, reserving any leaves, and cut crosswise into ½-inch rounds. Add the stems and leaves to the boiling water and cook until fully tender, about 10 minutes. Cut the broccoli florets into 1- to 1½-inch pieces and set aside.
- Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 20 seconds.
- Put a colander over Prep Pot #2 and pour contents of Prep Pot #1 through the colander removing broccoli stems and spinach; reserve ½ cup of the cooking water. Run cold water over stems and spinach in colander to stop cooking.
- Put Prep Pot #2 on the burner and return the water at a boil. Add the florets to the boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.
- Drain florets through a colander place over Prep Pot #1. Rinse florets under cold water to stop cooking. Return the water at a boil.
- In a blender, add the stems and spinach, garlic, capers, pepper flakes, ¾ teaspoon salt, lemon zest, lemon juice and the reserved broccoli stem/spinach cooking water.
- Puree until smooth and bright green, about 30 seconds. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Stir florets and wine into Assembly Pot.
- Place rigatoni pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain pasta into colander.
- Add pasta, puree from blender, ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water, and the cheese to the Assembly Pot
- Cook over medium, gently stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly and the pasta is well coated, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Garnish plate with and Parmesan.