How (Not) to Make Broccoli Pasta

   So last night I saw this amazing Pin on Pinterest for Broccoli Pasta.  I was really excited because:

 1. I love pasta.
 2. I really like broccoli.
 3. I am trying to put more fruit and veg into my diet.
 4. Joe doesn't like broccoli, but he -might- like this.

  So I decide to try making it for lunch today.  I had some time on my hands and was feeling energetic, so I thought, "why not?".  Famous.Last.Words.

  Now I want to say up front that this does taste amazing and you should totally make it, just not the way I did.  Here's why...

   First off, I don't own a steamer basket.  I know that they're not very expensive, I just don't have one.  "No problem,"  thought I, "I'll just use this strainer over a pot of water".  Little did I realize I should have put a lid on my impromptu "steamer" and also the lids don't fit with the strainer on top, so it took for-eve-er to steam the broccoli.

  Then I went to prep the garlic and this is what I found:

  Unbeknownst to me, my garlic had been sprouting in the bowl I keep it in on a shelf.  Luckily not all of the garlic I had in the house had sprouted.  I'm not sure why, but I feel like you're not suppose to eat sprouted garlic.  Since I couldn't remember why, I just cut it in half and took out the sprouted part in the middle.  

  Then it was time to start putting everything together...   This recipe requires one pot for steaming broccoli and -at the same time- another for cooking your pasta and a saute pan for putting together the ingredients for the sauce and cooking the broccoli again.  Then, it all goes into a food processor... right...

I promise I will clean all of this up as soon as I'm done with this blog post...

   So I made it through cooking the pasta (no problems there) saving a bit of the pasta water, moving the broccoli to the saute pan after sauteing the garlic in olive oil and so now I'm on to the last bit, the home stretch, the food processor!  Oh wait, I don't have one of those...  Improvisation number 2 (3?)

(This is what the broccoli sauce looks like after you have blended it for a long time with a stick blender)

   Hurray for stick blenders!  So at this point I have a literal sink full of dishes and a few dirty pots still on the stove, but it tastes delicious,especially with lots of pecorino-romano cheese (after all, who doesn't like cheese).  

   So here it is!  Broccoli pasta with shredded pecorino-romano cheese:

   There is a fair amount of olive oil (and cheese, but that's just me) in here, but I feel like the health benefits are still pretty high considering that, that is a giant floret of broccoli in there. 

   So here's what I'll do differently next time (because there most definitely will be a next time):

   1. I will not cook the pasta until the broccoli is done.  You don't need the pasta water until you're ready to put everything in the food processor so I can still saute the broccoli with the garlic and olive oil while the pasta cooks.  This is mostly because I don't like room temperature pasta and it took me too long to make the sauce.

  2.  More garlic!  I love garlic, so this is kind of a no-brainer for me.  I will also check my garlic before heading off to the grocery store just in case it has gone native without my noticing.

  So that's it.  I hope you enjoy making and eating this fantastic dish!  I hope your family does too!

Enjoy!

P.S.  I actually started typing this blog post while I was eating the pasta, which basically means I left it on the table until it got cold after just a few bites, so I can also say that this pasta is tasty reheated in the microwave for a few minutes.  Yay leftovers!  :)

Update:  Joe tried it and liked it.  We both agree it needs a few edits, mostly of the more variety (more salt, more garlic and a little more lemon).  Score one for broccoli pasta!  Also, I have eaten all the leftovers, so I will have to try and make it again soon.