A plateful of pasta and broccoli is equal parts comforting and nostalgic, but that shouldn't render it impervious from change. Switch it up with this broccoli pesto recipe – that you can also use it as a dip.
Broccoli pesto
Wash ½ lb. of broccoli florets and then steam for 7 minutes. Place the broccoli in a bowl with 2 Tbsp. pine nuts, a bunch of fresh basil leaves, 1 Tbsp. pecorino cheese, and 2 Tbsp.of almonds. Blend in a food processor, adding salt and between ¼ and ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil until smooth and creamy. Serve with pasta. If any you have any left over, place it in a bowl and cover with a drizzle of oil. It will keep for two days.
To amplify the pesto's flavor, add 12 walnut kernels and 4 dried tomatoes. In this case, add more oil until it takes on the creamy consistency. The green color will be less intense, but the incredible scent of dried tomatoes more than makes up for it.
