PASTA WITH BROCCOLI & BALSAMIC

Since discovering gluten-free pasta, I try to cook it once a week or once a fortnight. I have more fun than I’d like to admit creating new recipes and fixings for the pasta. Tonight I felt like broccoli, the superfood, as I feel the flu coming on. I come from a half Russian family, who believe strongly that vinegar is vital to the diet and staying healthy. Hence, the balsamic vinegar was thrown in. Feta was added as I love cheese, but do take note of the small amount of feta and that it is reduced fat, making this recipe health conscious. I added 1 tablespoon of oil to the dressing, but I would suggest just adding 1 teaspoon, as the lemon and vinegar is very strong and flavoursome. Pine nuts & pepitas were added to give the dish a bit of a bite. And lemon was added as I am feeling like a zesty kick today. So there you go, all the ingredients explained!

INGREDIENTS

• 500g gluten-free pasta 
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into even sized florets
• 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 3 tablespoons toasted pepitas (sometimes more commonly called pumpkin seeds)
• 20-30g reduced fat feta cheese, crumbled and lightly sprinkled 
• a pinch of sea salt 

Dressing 

• 1 large clove of garlic, finely diced
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed/olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (it will taste much nicer if the lemon juice is squeezed from a fresh lemon)
• a small pinch of chilli flakes 
• a pinch of sea salt 

COOKING

1. Bring a large saucepan of water with sea salt to the boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring for 7-8 minutes or until the pasta is slightly tender. Remove from the pan and drain well, rinsing with cold water so the pasta does not stick. 

2. Meanwhile, cook the broccoli by bringing a small saucepan of water to the boil. When boiled, place a colander or steamer on top with the broccoli and steam for around 6 minutes or until the broccoli is just tender (A fork should be able to slide through the broccoli without too much resistance). When cooked, remove and drain well. 

3. Place all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together to combine. 

4. To toast the pine nuts & pepitas; place them in a small frying pan over medium heat and move the nuts constantly, until they become lightly brown. This will take around 4 minutes. (Make sure you do not walk away from the stove, as next thing you know the nuts will have burned!) Remove. 

5. Place the pasta in a large serving bowl, top with the toasted pine nuts & pepitas, add the cooked broccoli and drizzle the dressing over. Toss well and add the scant feta cheese on top. 

Serves / 4 

Total preparation time / 5 minutes 

Total cooking time / 20 minutes 

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