Broccoli and Bow Ties - Presto Pasta Nights
June 1, 2007 | Filed Under Pasta, Presto Pasta Nights, Vegetables
This is one of the very first recipes I tried by the popular T.V. chef, the Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten). Oh, the simplicity of it!
Broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables. I could eat it forever and a day and never get tired of it. And I like farfalle pasta, although I don’t eat it often.
My favorite part of this recipe is the combination of butter, oil, garlic, and lemon zest prepared and poured over the pasta and broccolli. The smell is delightful and the taste so delicious that I think it’ll appeal to all types of eaters — even picky ones. 
I’d like to contribute this recipe to the Presto Pasta Nights event that Ruth of Once Upon A Feast hosts weekly. If you have a favorite pasta recipe and would like to participate, here are the guidelines. Ruth posts a roundup of the recipes contritubed every Friday on her site.
Continue to have a good week!
Paz
BROCCOLI AND BOW TIES
Kosher salt
8 cups broccoli florets (4 heads)
1/2 pound farfalle (bow tie) pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 lemon, zested
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup toasted pignoli (pine) nuts
Freshly grated Parmesan, optional
Cook the broccoli for 3 minutes in a large pot of boiling salted water. Remove the broccoli from the water with a slotted spoon or sieve. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
In the same water, cook the bow-tie pasta according to the package directions, about 12 minutes. Drain well and add to the broccoli.
Meanwhile, in a small saute pan, heat the butter and oil and cook the garlic and lemon zest over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Off the heat, add 2 teaspoons salt, the pepper, and lemon juice and pour this over the broccoli and pasta. Toss well. Season to taste, sprinkle with the pignolis and cheese, if using, and serve.
To toast pignolis, place them in a dry saute pan over medium-low heat and cook, tossing often, for about 5 minutes, until light brown.
Comments
14 Responses to “Broccoli and Bow Ties - Presto Pasta Nights”
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Great dish Paz! I love the Barefoot Contessa and this recipe is exactly why - simple but gorgeous and delicious!
Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Night.
It sounds healthy and delicious both! I like the idea that there’s a mix of olive oil and butter.
Paz, I love broccoli, too! And I adore the pasta shape you chose.
Hi Paz,
I like broccoli too. I can eat them even at breakfast! Have a nice weekend!
I love broccoli in pasta, or anywhere else. I always think of it as the healthiest of vegetables, like little scrub brushes that clean out your insides.
Finally. A recipe that even my husband can handle. I’ve never tried any of Garten’s recipes but now I feel the urge to do so. Good job, Paz!
Barefoot Contessa’s pasta salad recipes (she has several, including pasta with pesto and peas that I made just this past weekend) are always simple and elegant. Now that the weather is warm, I’m making more and more cold pasta salads, too.
That would make a perfect dinner. Your site’s beautiful, well done !
I just bought a big beautiful broccoli at the local farmer’s market. Thank you! Now, I have a plan for what to do with it. Dinner tonight compliments of Paz!
In Italy we call this bow tief pasta farfalle, butterflies: I like both names. Pasta and broccoli is a great combination and if you add pine nuts, garlic and parmigiano, even broccoli-skeptics will have to change their mind.
I also love broccoli and if you throw pasta into the mix it’s sheer heaven for me. I really have to try out Ina’s recipes, if your photo is any indication they are going to be a real delight!
Hi everyone! Thanks for your comments! Janice I hope you enjoyed your meal. Mari, yay! I hope the Wolf enjoys it. Simona, I’ll have to start calling it farfalle. Thanks!
Paz
This sounds and looks cool and refreshning for the summer.
Looks Great
Hi Lena: Welcome and thanks! This really is a refreshing and simple recipe.
Paz