Pasta with Broccoli

One way to get vegetable-averse DS12 to eat broccoli is to incorporate it into a pasta dish. This is a staple in my house, and not your typical restaurant pasta/broccoli dish (at least, I've never seen this version offered in a restaurant.) It is, however, very common in Italy.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, saute a few cloves of smashed garlic in some olive oil (maybe 1/4 cup of oil for 1 pound of pasta). Add some finely chopped anchovies for that elusive umami taste and some omega-3 fatty acids. They'll disintegrate in the hot oil and you'll never even see them. Add some good quality paprika, maybe two tablespoons, to the oil, and stir. Remove from heat to keep garlic from browning too much. To the boiling water add the pasta (I like Barilla Plus/ Multigrain) and about 1 pound of broccoli florets. (I've never actually weighed the broccoli, tending to eyeball the amount. I think more is better.) Cook for about 10 minutes. Pasta should be cooked al dente, which sometimes tastes undercooked. Italians prefer it this way and it lowers the glycemic index of the pasta. Drain the pasta and broccoli mix, reserving about 1-2 cups of the pasta water. Toss the pasta and broccoli with the oil mixture, adding the reserved pasta water as desired to moisten. Add some grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, and salt to taste.

You could add some cooked and diced chicken breast to this dish, but I like it best vegetarian. I love anchovies, and think they work well in this dish, but you can leave them out (I have to sneak them in when the kids are around.) You can also scoop out the garlic from the oil before adding it to the pasta.