By Naomi Nachman
I find it interesting to experiment with alternative ingredients when I make recipes. For example, I will use different types of vinegars in salads, or different cuts of meats when making roast recipes. In the recipe below, I am using broccoli instead of the traditional basil to make a pesto. The results were amazing and it’s a perfect dish for Shavuot.
Ingredients:
1 box Campanelle pasta
1 package checked broccoli (set aside a few pieces for garnish)
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ lemon, juiced
½ tsp dried chili flakes
3 tbsp pine nuts finely crushed
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese by Natural and Kosher
Cook the pasta into a large pan of boiling salted water and cook according to instructions and set aside.
Meanwhile make the broccoli pesto: bring a smaller pan of salted water to the boil, add the broccoli and boil for 4 minutes.
Drain the broccoli and pulse it in a food processor until smooth. Add the crushed garlic and lemon juice, chili flakes, pine nuts, then drizzle in the olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper. Spoon in the grated Parmesan, mix again, and set aside.
Toss in cooked pasta and mix well.
Garnish with pieces of extra broccoli and parmesan cheese.
Creamy Broccoli Pesto
