Adapted from Cara Mangini's The Vegetable Eater: The New Playbook for Cooking Vegetarian
Leafy broccoli rabe functions like basil here to make a rich and complex pesto-like sauce. Please don’t let broccoli rabe’s bitter, spicy reputation deter you. Blanching mellows the vegetable’s profile and all the hallmarks of traditional pesto make this a crowd-pleaser. In the early fall, add raw, diced or halved tomatoes (sprinkled with salt) to this pasta when tomatoes are still bursting with flavor off the vine.
Makes about 1¼ cups pesto
TAKE NOTE
• Use this recipe as a guide to make pesto with other types of fall greens, mixing and matching as you wish. Kale, spinach and Swiss chard are perfect contenders.
• To mellow the garlic, drop it in the boiling water for 30 seconds and remove it.
• Instead of warming the chickpeas in the pasta water, try sautéing them in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt over medium-high heat until golden. This requires an extra pan, but it adds great texture and flavor.
• No walnuts? Use pistachios or almonds instead.
BUTCHER TIP
Trim ½ inch off the ends of short bunches of broccoli rabe. At farmers markets you may find extra-large bunches with thicker and longer stems; trim off 1 to 2 inches.
Instructions
1. Set a colander in the sink. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and very generously salt it until it tastes like the sea. Carefully add the broccoli rabe and boil until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer it with a spider to the colander. (Keep the water boiling for the pasta.) Rinse the broccoli rabe under cold water and drain, then squeeze to release excess water and let stand.
2. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook it until just shy of al dente, according to the package instructions. Do not overcook the pasta!
3. Meanwhile, add the garlic to a large food processor and process on high until it is completely broken down. Add ⅓ cup of walnuts and the red pepper flakes and pulse until finely chopped. Add the drained broccoli rabe and pulse about 5 times until roughly chopped. Add 1⁄3 cup of oil and process until the broccoli rabe is very finely chopped and the whole mixture is well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the Pecorino, then blend until just combined. Adjust salt and add black pepper to taste, then add another 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil to taste and to reach your preferred texture. Blend until very creamy. Place 1 cup of the pesto in a large shallow pasta bowl, reserving about ¼ cup.
4. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drop the chickpeas in the boiling water to warm them. After 15 seconds, drain the pasta and chickpeas. Immediately add the pasta and chickpeas to the pesto in the large bowl and toss to combine. Add ¼ cup of the pasta water to start, then more if needed, to loosen the pesto and coat the pasta well. Top with more Pecorino, the reserved chopped walnuts, some black pepper, and more pesto if you like.
Cara Mangini believes eating vegetables is one of life’s greatest pleasures and has made it her mission to put vegetables at the center of the American plate. As an award-winning author, chef, restaurateur, teacher, and speaker she shares her passion for produce by welcoming everyone to the table around flavorfirst, vegetable-forward food. Find her at caramangini.com. Her cookbooks are available everywhere books are sold.
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