Conchiglie and Baby Broccoli

This is an excellent and easy pasta dish. The recipe is adapted from Schulman’s Mediterranean Harvest. The original recipe called for orecchiette and broccoli rabe, but Whole Foods didn’t have either, so I substituted the conchiglie and baby broccoli. You could use any shell-type pasta and any other greens – kale, chard, turnip or mustard greens. The baby broccoli looked good that day and I haven’t used it in awhile.

• 1 lb of greens
• salt
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 3/4 lb of shell pasta
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Trim stems of greens, if necessary and wash. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add some salt and the greens. Cook until tender (times vary depending on the greens you are using) approx 2-4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of cold water and let sit for a few minutes, then drain. Squeeze out water and chop the greens.

Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Cook until al dente then drain. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook 30 seconds to one minute, until garlic is fragrant, and then add the greens. Toss for a minute and season with salt, then remove from heat and keep warm.

After pasta is cooked and drained, toss it with the greens and the cheese.