Pasta Shells with Broccoli and Anchovies

Like Eggy, I was in the mood for some pasta this week.

I was introduced to this humble and simple pasta dish by an Italian friend. He lived near me in Paris and I used to go to his place for dinner, especially whenever he received a food parcel from his mother.

As with all Italian mothers, she was concerned that her dear son would not eat the right sort of food (usually that meant good wholesome Italian food prepared by her, of course) and took up the responsibility of sending him a food parcel every month. It was meant to last him a month.

What she didn't know was that he would invite a few friends over the following weekend and we would have an Italian food debauchery. No, her dear son didn't tell her that, it might break her heart! Her unknown fans loved her pasta sauces - the green pesto was the crowd favourite - and her homemade preserves like tomatoes and artichokes. The hams that his father cured from the boar shot the previous autumn was a treat.

Sometimes, there was a bottle of homemade alcohol. It could be sweet yellow limoncino but what we all loved was a liqueur he called noccino, made from walnuts, cinnamon and coffee. It was a dark and smoky as the limoncino was sunny and bright.

It was during one of those food feasts that my Italian friend introduced this dish to me. He used only 4 ingredients and made it within 10 minutes. I was speechless when I tasted it. It's incredible that something so simple can taste so good.

You must try it, you'll be hooked too.

Pasta Shells with Broccoli and Anchovies - Serves 2

Ingredients
150g of pasta shells
1 medium head of broccoli, cut into florets
1 can of anchovies in olive oil (50g)
Olive oil
A large pinch of salt (for boiling pasta)
Pepper to taste

Preparation time: 3 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Level of difficulty: Easy peasy

In a boiling pot of water, add the pasta and salt. Stir occasionally. You can add some olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking. After 3 minutes, add the broccoli florets. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes or until pasta is just short of al dente.

Meanwhile, using a similarly sized pot, add the anchovies. Put the pot on low heat. You will see the anchovies slowly melting in the oil.

Drain the pasta and broccoli well, add to the pot with the melted anchovies. Mix well and remove from heat. Add a little olive oil if the pasta looks too dry. Leave the pasta to sit for about 10 minutes to soak in the anchovy flavours before serving.

You can also keep it in the fridge overnight and serve cold.