Creamy Broccolini Carbonara w/ Orecchiette
Do you know what, I don’t think I’ve ever cooked a pasta dish with orecchiette before! Which is scandalous, because it’s delicious! Orecchiette (‘ora-kee-etti’) is an ancient type of pasta with origins in Puglia, Southern Italy. It’s so named because the teeny button shape resembles ‘little ears’. It’s also just the right shape for cupping tasty sauces, so it works perfectly in any pasta dish with a cheesy, creamy, pesto-y or tomato-y sauce (so basically all pasta dishes).
Broccoli is also heading right into its prime at the moment, so I figured a creamy broccolini carbonara would be just right for the stormy gloomy weather we’re having right now. The extra wholegrain mustard and balsamic vinegar cut through the decadence of the cream sauce, and also when has adding chunks of camembert cheese to anything ever not been a good idea! They don’t totally melt through the whole dish either, so every now and then you’ll come across a little orecchiette ear filled with semi-molten Camembert! Melty cheese-ears! More delicious and delightful than perhaps the name suggests hehe, and absolutely the perfect remedy to grey skies and dreary drizzle. Enjoy!
P.S. If you’re fortunate enough to be in the Northern hemisphere and heading into summer, you can take a big bowl of this on your next picnic - it makes a delicious pasta salad and tastes lovely at room temperature too!
Creamy Broccolini Carbonara w/ Orecchiette
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
250g Orecchiette pasta (you could also use penne or similar)
1 Tbsp grape seed oil
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
1 brown onion, finely sliced
5 cloves of garlic, diced
1 bunch of broccolini (200g), cut into thirds
1/2 cup pouring cream
50g camembert cheese (about 1/4 cup), diced into cubes
3 tsp wholegrain mustard
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Rind and juice of 1 lemon
Rind and juice of 1/2 an orange
1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
A handful of grated pecorino or parmesan cheese, to serve
Method
Cook the pasta according the the instructions on the packet.
While the pasta cooks, heat the grape seed oil in a large, deep frying pan, then add the chilli flakes, onion and garlic. Fry until the onion has started to brown.
Briefly boil the broccolini in a small saucepan (it only needs about 1-2 minutes). Drain and set aside.
Once the onions have browned, add the pouring cream, camembert cheese, wholegrain mustard, black pepper, balsamic vinegar, and the rind and juice of the lemon and orange. Give everything a stir and let cook for a few more minutes, so the camembert just begins to melt.
Drain the cooked pasta. Add the pasta and broccolini to the frying pan and mix together well so the pasta is evenly coated in the cheesy sauce.
Top with the crushed walnuts and grated parmesan, then serve!