PASTA "RO MALU TEMPU"

Pasta

This peasant dish from Sicily translates to "pasta when the weather is bad". It is what fishermen made when the weather conditions didn't allow them to fish. Besides broccoli and pasta, it uses common ingredients found in every Sicilian kitchen such as pine nuts, raisins, bread crumbs, anchovies, and saffron.

Provided by Buckwheat Queen

Categories Italian Main Dishes

Time 45m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 14

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons raisins
1 (12 ounce) package rigatoni pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 anchovies anchovy fillets
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 head broccoli, separated into florets
4 threads saffron threads
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 pinch ground cinnamon
¼ cup toasted bread crumbs
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons toasted bread crumbs
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

Soak raisins in warm water for 10 minutes; drain and set aside.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook rigatoni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes.
At the same time, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly saute anchovies, onions, and garlic, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Mash the anchovies a bit to help them dissolve to create a paste. Add broccoli and begin to saute over medium heat, stirring often to avoid burning. Cook evenly until softened, about 10 minutes. Break up large florets as soon as they softens; ideally, you want bite-sized florets. Add ladles of the pasta water to the skillet as needed to keep the broccoli from burning.
Add a ladle of pasta water to a small bowl, add the saffron threads, and allow to melt. Add to the broccoli. Mash some of the smaller florets to help create a creamy sauce. Add the pine nuts, raisins, and cinnamon. Stir often.
Drain cooked pasta, reserving the pasta water. Stir pasta into the skillet. Sprinkle in 1/4 cup bread crumbs and red pepper flakes. Toss to coat, adding a few tablespoons of pasta water if necessary. Drizzle remaining oil and 2 tablespoons bread crumbs over the top and add black pepper. Serve hot.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 516 calories, Carbohydrate 80.3 g, Cholesterol 3.4 mg, Fat 15.6 g, Fiber 6.2 g, Protein 17.3 g, SaturatedFat 2.5 g, Sodium 251.1 mg, Sugar 8.2 g