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Broccoli-Anchovy Sauce with Ziti

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Time

45 minutes

Yield

Sauce for 1 pound of dried pasta

Broccoli-Anchovy Sauce with Ziti

Ingredients

1 tablespoon table salt 1 bunch broccoli (about 1 ½ pounds), cut into florets, stems peeled, quartered, and cut into 2-inch lengths1 pound ziti, penne, or rigatoni1 can anchovy fillets (2 ounces), oil reserved6 tablespoons olive oil

Before You Begin

This dish is a specialty of Apulia in Southern Italy. Ziti matches well with this sauce. Don't be put off by the anchovies in the sauce; they dissolve completely in the hot olive oil. Remember to save some of the pasta cooking water to thin the sauce, if necessary.

Instructions

  1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large dutch oven; add salt, broccoli stems, and pasta, stirring frequently during cooking to prevent pasta from sticking together. After 5 minutes, add broccoli florets; cook until pasta is al dente, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Drain, leaving pasta water clinging to the pasta; transfer to warm bowl.
  2. Meanwhile, heat anchovies, including their oil, and olive oil together until anchovies dissolve, 1 to 2 minutes.
  3. Toss the pasta and broccoli with the anchovy sauce. Serve immediately.
Broccoli-Anchovy Sauce with Ziti

Broccoli-Anchovy Sauce with Ziti

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

45 minutes

Yield

Sauce for 1 pound of dried pasta

Ingredients

1 tablespoon table salt
1 bunch broccoli (about 1 ½ pounds), cut into florets, stems peeled, quartered, and cut into 2-inch lengths
1 pound ziti, penne, or rigatoni
1 can anchovy fillets (2 ounces), oil reserved
6 tablespoons olive oil

Ingredients

1 tablespoon table salt
1 bunch broccoli (about 1 ½ pounds), cut into florets, stems peeled, quartered, and cut into 2-inch lengths
1 pound ziti, penne, or rigatoni
1 can anchovy fillets (2 ounces), oil reserved
6 tablespoons olive oil

Ingredients

1 tablespoon table salt
1 bunch broccoli (about 1 ½ pounds), cut into florets, stems peeled, quartered, and cut into 2-inch lengths
1 pound ziti, penne, or rigatoni
1 can anchovy fillets (2 ounces), oil reserved
6 tablespoons olive oil

Why This Recipe Works

For our broccoli-anchovy pasta sauce recipe we cooked the broccoli florets and stems along with the pasta, adding the stems to the water first since they took longer to cook. To finish the dish, we heated some chopped anchovies and olive oil until the anchovies were just dissolved, and then tossed the anchovy oil together with the pasta and vegetables.

Before You Begin

This dish is a specialty of Apulia in Southern Italy. Ziti matches well with this sauce. Don't be put off by the anchovies in the sauce; they dissolve completely in the hot olive oil. Remember to save some of the pasta cooking water to thin the sauce, if necessary.

Instructions

  1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large dutch oven; add salt, broccoli stems, and pasta, stirring frequently during cooking to prevent pasta from sticking together. After 5 minutes, add broccoli florets; cook until pasta is al dente, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Drain, leaving pasta water clinging to the pasta; transfer to warm bowl.
  2. Meanwhile, heat anchovies, including their oil, and olive oil together until anchovies dissolve, 1 to 2 minutes.
  3. Toss the pasta and broccoli with the anchovy sauce. Serve immediately.

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