The recipe
Ingredients
- 180 g fusilli
- 300 g trimmed broccoli
- 20 g plain breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Wash the broccoli. Cut the florets roughly two centimetres across and slice the peeled tender stalk five millimetres thick.
- Boil the vegetables in salted water for six to eight minutes until fork-tender. Lift out, retain the water and then cook the fusilli in it until just short of your preferred bite.
- While the vegetables boil, toast the crumbs in one tablespoon of oil over medium heat for two to three minutes, stirring until golden. Transfer to a plate.
- Gently warm the garlic in the remaining oil for thirty seconds. Add two thirds of the broccoli and three tablespoons of cooking water, mash and cook covered over low heat for about five minutes.
- Reserve a cup of cooking water before draining the pasta. Finish the fusilli and remaining florets briefly in the sauce, adding water by the tablespoon if needed.
- Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Divide between two plates, scatter over the toasted crumbs and serve immediately.
Prepare the broccoli in suitable sizes
For two servings, weigh 300 g trimmed broccoli. Cut the florets into pieces roughly two centimetres across. You can include the tender stalk: remove the tough outer layer and slice the centre about five millimetres thick. Large firm stalk pieces would take longer to cook than small florets. Boil the prepared vegetables in salted water for six to eight minutes, until easily crushed with a fork. Extend the time slightly if necessary.
Lift out the broccoli with a slotted spoon and keep the water in the saucepan. Use it to cook 180 g fusilli next. Reserve about one third of the florets for finishing. Mash the remainder in the frying pan with garlic, oil and a little cooking water. There is no need for a blender. The sauce can retain small pieces that settle into the pasta spirals.
Add the crumbs after plating
Toast 20 g plain breadcrumbs in one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat for about two to three minutes. Stir frequently and remove them as soon as they turn golden. Leaving them in the hot pan would let them darken further. Prepare them while the vegetables boil, then use the same frying pan for the sauce. The crumbs stay dry until the pasta is ready.
Gently warm one finely chopped garlic clove in the second tablespoon of oil for about thirty seconds without browning it. Add the broccoli intended for the sauce and three tablespoons of cooking water, mash and cook over low heat with a lid for approximately five minutes. Fold in the fusilli while still just short of your preferred bite, together with the remaining florets. Finish cooking briefly, then season with pepper, salt and one teaspoon of lemon juice. Add the crumbs immediately before eating; mixed into the sauce, they would quickly soften.