Three Layer Cake

This dish is usually prepared with broccoli rabe, which are the ends of turnip greens, which are great, but not that easy to find in my supermarket.  My easy version, which uses simple broccoli, is a quicker dish which doesn’t require lots of trimming and cleaning and steaming, and is an efficient use of leftovers.  Even if you're not using leftover broccoli, I find this dish very useful especially for parties, last minute guests, and nights when I just don’t feel like cooking. 

Like with many vegetables in Italy, there seem to be endless varieties of broccoli.  Ok, maybe not endless, but a couple more than the Jolly Green Giant or Bird's Eye offered, and more than I found in Whole Foods the last time I lived in the United States.  The broccolo romano (pictured) has a triangular pointy shape. The broccolo siciliano has the shape and color I was familiar with until a few years ago.  I think maybe the romano variety has more folic acid, so it’s more…broccoli-ish.  The ‘regular’ broccoli are probably a little sweeter, or less broccoli-ish in comparison.  The guy I used to buy from at the market knew me well because I never asked for broccoli romani or siciliani, but always asked for the broccoli without bugs because once he gave me some, which he swore were the most beautiful on the table.  I later found out that they had a flying ‘broccoli bug’ burrowed in the stem and when I started to clean the broccoli it flew out and I almost had a heart attack. 

I usually prepare this pasta when there is broccoli left over from day before. But this also his works great for parties when you have to prepare ahead because you can steam the broccoli in advance and get rid of the smell, and then on party day, you just have to boil the pasta and reheat the broccoli. 

Ingredients: 
 

• 250g fresh orecchiette pasta
• broccoli romani
• two cloves of garlic
  
• fresh red pepper (drid red pepper work, too)
• olive oil 

To prepare the pasta:

Put the water on for the pasta.  Steam the cleaned broccoli in a pressure cooker, careful not to leave it too long because you will be reheating it.  Chop off the colored green ends of the broccoli.  In a frying pan with 3 tablespoons of oil, sauté garlic, one piece of fresh hot red pepper if very spicy, two pieces if mild, seeds included.  Once the garlic has taken color, discard it and add the broccoli.  Mix until well coated and heated through, (if previously refrigerated.  Remove from heat.  Add the orecchiette (or other flat pasta like bowties or shells) to the water and allow to cook (when they come to float, they are done).   Drain the pasta, saving half cup of the pasta water, and put the pasta in a large bowl.  Empty the contents of the frying pan over the pasta and mix well, adding a bit of the cooking water and/or a bit of olive oil if necessary.  Serve with parmesan.