A Blast from the Past

       The other day I was watching a youtube vid for Pasta with Broccoli and Garlic. I hadn't thought about eating that dish in years! My granny used to make it for me all the time when I was a kid. I loved how the broccoli was so soft. Little bits of green would coat the pasta. It would be served with a generous sprinkling of what my family referred to as , "grated cheese". Apparently Pecorino Romano or Parmigianno Reggiano was never referred to as there actual names. They were just grated cheeses.
    I so love this dish. It's comfort food 101 to me. My Granny didn't have a huge array of recipes that she would make. She'd make the same 20 or so over and over. The great thing about that was they were always good. The trick (or the MUST DO) for this dish is to make sure the broccoli is soft enough to break apart with a wooden spoon. You don't want huge, hard chunks. It should be soft enough to almost create its own sauce. Also, make sure the pasta is al dente. This will ensure you have great mouth feel! I despise that word. Do you? Mouth feel. Uuuuuggghhhh.
     Laura (from the youtube vid link above) makes her version almost the same as my Granny did. I recreated it tonight and served some sauteed chicken along side. Not a bad Sunday meal if I do say so myself. When I bit into the pasta it was as if I was transported back in time. Back to the days when Nanny would call me, "Pishca-bella" (whatever that meant) and give me a pinch. Yep, I'd make my Nanny proud.

Nom nom nom nom nom....