Well today I attempted my mother’s Pasta cu Brocolo, and that means pasta with broccoli or pasta broccoli.

I used one whole head of very fresh garlic.  Sliced and toasted/sauteed in a big pan with enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the entire pan.  When the garlic started looking beigey-brown I added one pound of frozen broccoli florets right out of the bag.  In the meantime, the water was boiling and the spaghetti was cooking in it.  I continued cooking the garlic, broccoli, olive oil in the big sautee pan, and when the broccoli seemed cooked enough I added the drained spaghetti.  I added salt and pepper to the big pan of my pasta cu brocolo.  I let it cook a little more all together for just a couple of minutes.

What did I learn from this experiment?  It tasted almost like my mother’s but not exactly.  I was still delicious but as much as my mother’s.  Next time, I will use two whole heads of sliced garlic and chop the broccoli before adding it to the pan.  I will also reserve some of the pasta water to add a little to the whole dish in the pan.  AND I will make sure I have grated cheese on hand like Percorino Romano or Parmgiano Reggiano.

So I will be back after my next attempt at my mother’s Lina Romolo’s pasta cu Brocolo!  Thank you for visiting, and remember to “eat while you can!!!!”

Here you can see that I just did not cut up the broccoli enough,  the dish is better when the broccoli pieces are smaller and mixed throughout more evenly.  My next suggestion is using a linguine or macaroni like gemmeli.  So next time,  2 heads of garlic/one pound of broccoli/one pound of pasta with reserved water.  Capisce?