A cheesy, garlicky, herby pasta that makes the most of an entire head of broccoli, stalk and all.

Words: Extract from Nadia: A Seasonal Journal  Photo: Isabella Harrex

Makes: 4 serves
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

400g pasta (e.g. penne, rigatoni)
2 medium heads broccoli
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for frying
½ cup pumpkin seeds
1 bunch basil, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
1 bunch parsley, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ cup finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

METHOD

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.

Cook the pasta for 10 minutes, or until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, drain well and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, trim the ends off the broccoli stalk and discard. Roughly chop the remaining stalk and head. Put into a food processor and process for about 1 minute until very finely chopped.

Heat a good drizzle of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and a pinch of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes or until bright green and tender. Remove from the heat.

To make the pumpkin-seed pesto, put the olive oil, pumpkin seeds, basil, parsley, garlic, parmesan, lemon zest and juice and a good pinch of salt and pepper into the food processor (no need to wash it out). Process until everything is finely chopped and well combined, scraping down the sides as necessary.

Add the pesto and reserved pasta water to the broccoli and return to medium heat. Mix well to combine, then stir through the cooked pasta. Serve in bowls, drizzled with olive oil and topped with basil leaves and finely grated parmesan.