This isn’t really a test drive, per se. This is one of my favorite recipes, and I just wanted to make sure that all of you had a chance to try it. Giada’s Farfalle with Broccoli is a super easy, delicious meal that is simple enough to make on any week night. I love to eat and cook big, complicated fancy meals as much as the next foodie, but it seems like I can never find enough really tasty and quick meals.
Trust me when I say that this recipe for Farfalle with Broccoli is just that.
OK, here is the point where I think I’m going to lose a bunch of you, but give it a chance: the secret ingredient in this recipe is anchovies. I’ve already defended the hairy little fish, but I’ll say it again; anchovies are really not that scary. If you make this recipe as instructed, the anchovies break down and melt into the butter and olive oil, leaving you with no chunks. You might even be able to convince some people that there weren’t even anchovies in the sauce, though that would be a mean trick.
The fact is that anchovies are delicious. They work amazingly well in this sauce, blending with the bite of the garlic and the spicy red pepper flakes. The butter and olive oil work together in the perfect ratio to mellow out and blend together all the other strong flavors. Your mouth will thank you as it buzzes with the spicy, garlicky, nuttiness (yes, the anchovies are nutty).
If you’re a little scared to try this recipe with anchovies, you can leave them out, like so many of the commenters on foodtv.com did. Really, though, it’s the star of the sauce, and without the anchovies, you might as well just have buttered noodles.
The other great part of this recipe is the little tip from Giada: dump the broccoli in with the cooking pasta when there are a couple minutes left and you only have to dirty a single pan. Genius! Being a big guy with a big appetite, I usually like to add some grilled chicken to this dish, and it works really well. I’ve also used some leftover rosemary butter in the recipe instead of normal butter and it was delicious. I would definitely toss some rosemary into this sauce again sometime.
Next time you’re looking for a quick meal that is huge on flavor, give this one a shot.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Jul 29, 2009 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
