Mimi Thorisson’s biggest hits till date, with her children, has been this recipe of Broccoli Pasta. At her home, the inclusion of broccoli in a meal was rarely met with loud cheers, until she “struck gold with this pasta sauce”, as she puts it in her gorgeous cook book ‘Old World Italian’. The recipe has been slightly adapted to taste.

~ Gather Your Ingredients ~

500 g Dried spaghetti (Serves 4-6)

1 large head/450 g Broccoli and stems, cut into small florets

1/4th cup/60 ml Extra-virgin olive oil

1 Onion, finely chopped

2 Garlic clove, minced

Fine sea salt (to taste)

2 tbsp Muziris ‘Bio~diverse estate’ Black Pepper [Add to cart]

1/2 cup/120 ml Heavy cream

115g Grated Parmesan cheese

~ Preparation Instructions ~

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and cook until al dente for about 3 mins. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, keeping the water boiling to cook the pasta.

2. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook to al dente according to the package instructions. Reserving 1 cups/250 ml of the pasta water to make the sauce, drain the pasta and set aside in the pot.

3. Toast the black peppercorns in a pan over high heat for a few minutes until you hear a popping sound. This releases the aroma & the citrusy notes of our Muziris Black Pepper and makes the peppercorns even more flavourful. Remove from the pan and grind them in a mortar & pestle or in a spice mixer as convenient. 

4. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the broccoli and season with salt and black pepper. Pour the cream and cook further for a brief few seconds then remove from the heat.

5. Transfer the broccoli mixture to a food processor and process until roughly creamy. 

6. Add the broccoli sauce and a few tablespoons of reserved pasta water to the pot over medium-high heat. Cook, tossing frequently, until the pasta is well coated, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper as desired, and scatter the grated Parmesan on top. Serve immediately.