Anyhow, neither of us were too interested in doing much cooking, nor did we get overly enthused about pasta e broccoli, typically one of our favorites. rIAm suggested a simple broccoli in butter bread crumbs, a dish that takes about 10 minutes and 3 ingredients. I suggested sautéing the mushrooms with a bit of the wine left over in our fridge, and if we wanted something to go with all this we could heat up some leftovers.

rIAm agreed, neither of us were totally satisfied, but it sounded tasty enough. and rIAm issued this one edict: “I don’t feel like being creative tonight,” referring to the kitchen and also a general disinterest in doing much cooking.

So naturally, when I called on my way home I find out rIAm has come up with the briliant idea to make a quiche. A mushroom, broccoli and cheese quiche. Oh. My. God. It was unfreakingbelievably good. And there was enough broccoli to have some butter bread crumbs on the side!

Not creative?! Right. Don’t be creative every night.

Yes, finally, a post of the recipe that inspired our blog’s name! It’s also another “what we had for dinner tonight” post. Lately we’ve been enjoying this dish with shrimp; we get the bag of small salad shrimp from the Trader Joe’s freezer section and toss them in just before adding the pasta and broccoli to the pan. They add a great bite-sized delicious flavour!

For more photos of the cooking process, click here. Otherwise, enjoy the following receipe.

Pasta e Broccoli della Famiglia Mercuri

rIAm’s mother has made this recipe for as long as rIAm can remember. Using fresh and classic Italian ingredients, this dish can be on the table in less than 30 minutes. Quick preparation and delicious flavours keeps this recipe in regular rotation in both rIAm’s & jft’s, and rIAm’s family’s households.

1 pound (454 g) farfalle, or other pasta shape
1 head of broccoli, stem included
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6 large cloves finely chopped or crushed garlic, or to taste
Red pepper flakes to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus extra for serving
Salt to taste

Wash broccoli, peel stems and cut all into bite-size pieces. Steam broccoli until crisp-tender, or boil broccoli with pasta during last few minutes of pasta cooking so pasta absorbs broccoli flavour. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente preparation. When pasta is 5 minutes from ready, heat garlic and oil on medium-low in a pan large enough to hold all ingredients. As garlic begins to sizzle, add red pepper flakes and cook for one minute longer. Be sure not to burn garlic. Add broccoli, and toss to coat with oil. When pasta is done, drain well. Add to broccoli mix, and toss together over medium heat. Add cheese, salt, and more olive oil if desired, and toss well. Remove from heat and serve immediately, preferably in pasta bowls. Sprinkle with more cheese to taste. Serves 6.

Variations from rIAm & jft:
> Add in pre-cooked shrimp when adding broccoli.
> Substitute steamed cauliflower or other favourite greens (e.g. spinach, swiss chard, rapini).

Not that it’s a contest or anything, but the epod user in Seattle has two posts that inspired this one: here’s what we had for dinner tonight. Super tasty and delicious! (click the photo to get a description of the meal)

Our version went a little something like this, but it can be modified quite easily to suit your tastes.

4 poblanos*, stems & seeds removed
2 hot peppers* (e.g. jalepeno, serrano, etc)
2-4 additional small peppers* (we used several grown in our garden that aren’t sweet, but aren’t really hot either. If you like bell peppers, adding one in place of these would be nice too)
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or put through a press
1 medium white onion (or 2 small), roughly chopped
2 medium tomatoes* (or 1 15oz. can of tomatoes), diced
2 ears cooked corn, cut from cob
2 cups Chihuahua cheese (or other melting cheese)
1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil (we used grapeseed oil)
salt to taste
2-4 oz. tequila (optional, but recommended!)

*Note: We left the skins on all of these ingredients, and this recipe reflects that choice. The next time we make the dish, we would take the time to roast and remove the skins. This would be a bit nicer to eat, bring out extra flavor of the ingredients, and then take less time in the pan to cook.

Heat oil in a large, heavy pan, on medium to medium-high heat (we used our nice All-Clad saute pan with great success). When the oil is hot add the poblanos and other peppers (if you’ve pre-roasted the peppers, don’t add the peppers until later). Saute the peppers until they are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and saute until the onion begins to soften. Now add the garlic and mix in, along with some salt. Add half the tomatoes, another pinch of salt, and let the tomatoes cook down. Add the corn with another pinch of salt and mix well. Saute, stirring infrequently, for several minutes. Add the rest of the tomatoes and let them cook down.

Let the mixture lightly brown on the bottom and then stir and repeat. Add the tequila, being sure to use the liquor to deglaze the pan (as long as you’re not using a non-stick pan). Let the tequila cook off and the flavor to be taken in by the ingredients. Add the cheese, stirring it all around and then simply letting it melt into the dish. Once the cheese is melted, you are ready to serve. We made delicious tacos, sprinkled with some chopped cilantro, but it would be just as good served with tortilla chips.

We left ours in the hot pan while we ate, making each taco as we were ready to eat it. With a heavy pan this works well. To use a serving dish, I recommend warming the dish in the oven while cooking. Take the dish out of the oven just before serving and transfer the cheesy mixture to the warm serving dish, and it will keep the food warm and nicely melted.

Buen provecho!

But we had to do something with the fruits of our labor (duh!), and lucky for us, tomato + peppers + basil + extra virgin olive oil = tomato salad. Very delicious tomato salad. (see photo)

It feels unbelievably good (to taste buds and heart) to eat a fantastic dish with nothing but our own ingredients mixed with a bit of olive oil. Especially right after a meal that consisted of carrots and potatoes from the farmer’s market and zucchini from my future grandfather-in-law’s garden.

I love this time of year… eating amazing fresh food everyday with an amazing partner by my side.