Food Friday: Broccoli, Chili and Artichoke Pasta

Mmm... pasta. I used to absolutely LOVE pasta, and I probably ate entirely too much of it at one point in my life. I probably had pasta at least once a week up until about a year ago. It was a quick and easy fallback meal on regular rotation at our house. Boil some pasta, heat up some red sauce, and voila! Easy meal. But, pasta and red sauce gets pretty boring, and considering how often we were eating it, it's no surprise I got burned out.

Another thing that I got tired of is broccoli. Broccoli was our token "green veggie" back before I started to get creative with cooking. And, I'm sorry, but steamed broccoli with NO seasoning gets pretty darn boring after eating it a couple times a week. (Although, if I can just mention one thing really quickly: have you ever eaten the inside of a raw broccoli stalk? Oh my goodness. So. Good.)

I only discovered the wonders of gnocchi until a few years ago, and man, oh man, have I been missing out. Potatoes and pasta, all rolled into one? As PW would say, Fugghetaboutit. If you have never had gnocchi, please please try it. They are puffy little packets of potatoe-y goodness. I have never had trouble finding vacuum-sealed gnocchi in the pasta aisle, but if you can't find it for some reason, regular pasta will work just fine for this recipe.

Even in the midst of my pasta burnout, I still always considered myself a pasta lover. And, given my recent broccoli burnout, you can imagine how excited I was when I found this recipe for Broccoli, Chili and Artichoke Pasta. I have also been on a real artichoke kick lately, so I was totally stoked to try this out.

This recipe was a definite keeper. It doesn't require a lot of chopping, and it's super fast to make. Plus, the combination of garlic, chili and broccoli are good for your heart, blood and immune system! A couple of changes I'll make for next time: more broccoli. I don't think there was quite enough compared to the gnocchi. And, depending on what kind of artichoke hearts you use, I would advise chopping them into smaller pieces (quartered or even smaller). And, make sure you cut off any tough petals that may still be hanging on. Just because they come in a can/jar doesn't mean you shouldn't groom them a little. I served this with a simple salad and some homemade tomato soup with fresh basil (a nice addition to add a little color to the meal).

Broccoli, Chili and Artichoke Pasta
3 cups dried gnocchi pasta (if you use another type of pasta, make sure you adjust the quantity to equal 3 cups of cooked pasta. Gnocchi is already puffed up when you buy it.)
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets (I'll probably up this to 2 or more)
6 tbsp olive oil
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1/2 - 1 tsp dried chili flakes (depending on how hot you want it)
1 1/2 cups artichoke hearts in oil, drained
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, to garnish (I skipped this)
grated Pecorino cheese, for sprinkling (optional, but definitely don't skip it!)

1. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water according to the instructions on the packet until it is al dente. Add the broccoli for the last 3 minutes of cooking time. Drain, reserving a little of the cooking water. Note: Gnocchi usually only takes about 3 minutes to cook once the water starts boiling, so make sure you note the package instructions. You may end up putting the broccoli and the gnocchi in at the same time.

2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan and saute the garlic and chili flakes for 1 minute.

3. Add the pasta, broccoli and artichoke hearts and cook for 2 minutes until hot. Add a little of the reserved pasta water if the mixture seems a little dry. Season and sprinkle with the parsley and Pecorino cheese, if using.