Today we’ll make pasta with Palermo-style broccoli, also known as pasta with arriminati broccoli (Sicilian), a first course born of peasant tradition that’s outrageously good and joins our collection dedicated to Sicilian cooking and grandmother’s recipes. If “broccoli affogati” are delicious, Palermo-style arriminati broccoli are spectacular — and even more so with pasta! We’ve made many recipes with broccoli over the years, but we were missing the most traditional one, so today we’ve remedied that by preparing grandma’s pasta with broccoli and plenty of “muddica atturrata”. Want to try it too? Follow me in the kitchen and you’ll see how delicious it is. Before we roll up our sleeves, if you’d like to stay updated on all my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter and Spring
Ingredients to make pasta with arriminati broccoli
For this recipe you should ideally use bucatini, but shorter pastas like penne or bronze-drawn thick spaghetti will also work as well — like the ones I used. “Arriminati” means stirred or mixed, and since in this recipe the broccoli (actually cauliflower in Palermo) are worked and mixed quite a bit, the name fits.
- 14 oz bucatini (or the pasta you prefer)
- 1.1 lb cauliflower (or broccoli)
- 3.5 oz white onion
- 4 fillets anchovy fillets in oil (or salted)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 sachet saffron (2 sachets for a more intense color)
- to taste breadcrumbs (about one level tablespoon per person)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
Tools
- Skillet
- Pot
Preparation of Pasta with Palermo-style Arriminati Broccoli
In Palermo, “broccoli” refers to cauliflower, so when you read “broccoli arriminati” you should think of green or purple cauliflower or Romanesco broccoli. If you prefer, regular broccoli will also work. You could also use white cauliflower, but the flavor and color will be less intense.
To make pasta with arriminati broccoli, start by separating the cauliflower florets (the “broccoli”) from each other, then plunge them into slightly salted boiling water and cook until very tender. Toast the pine nuts in a skillet until golden, set them aside, and finely chop the onion. Sweat the onion in a skillet with a generous drizzle of oil, add the anchovies and once they have dissolved, pour in a ladleful of the cauliflower cooking water. Add the raisins and let them cook; before the liquids evaporate completely add the saffron and stir. Scoop the cauliflower out with a slotted spoon, keeping the cooking water on the heat, add the florets to the other ingredients in the skillet and mash while mixing with a fork. When you have obtained a fairly creamy sauce and the cauliflower is broken down, turn off the heat and add the toasted pine nuts.
Put the breadcrumbs in a skillet with a drizzle of oil, stir and toast until golden. Cook the pasta in the cauliflower cooking water and drain al dente, combine it with the sauce adding cooking water if needed and plate, finishing with plenty of “muddica atturrata” (toasted breadcrumbs).
Storage notes and tips
You can prepare the “broccoli arriminati” in advance and store them in the refrigerator, well sealed in an airtight container, for up to two days. Freezing is not recommended. Leftover pasta already dressed can be stored in the fridge for 24 hours and reheated in a skillet until a golden crust forms before serving.
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