The winter blues make me crave comfort foods. If candy corn were still on the store shelves, I’d be devouring them by the handful. But since they aren’t, I settle for my second favorite comfort food – pasta. And the most comforting of all pasta dishes is my grandmother’s pepperoni and broccoli pasta.
My Italian grandmother was a master in the kitchen. Most of her delicious dishes would be impossible to replicate – her apple pie, her cherry cobbler, her crabs and spaghetti. But her pepperoni pasta is simple and rustic, and after years of trying, I think I’ve gotten it just right.
I love this pasta dish so much I had it made especially for my wedding reception. Since then, many of our wedding guests have asked for the recipe. Well, here it is finally!
This recipe doesn’t require much. You’ll need:
One box of pasta (rotini or something similar is best, no spaghetti or linguini)
Broccoli, about 3 to 4 heads
Pepperoni, one pound (use pepperoni sticks – no pre-sliced!)
Extra virgin olive oil, about 1/4 cup
Lots and lots of garlic
Cheese of your choice
I apologize for not having photos for every step in this recipe. I accidentally deleted some of them. Oops. Can I still blame pregnancy brain?
First, prep your ingredients. Cut the pepperoni sticks in half lengthwise and then slice them about a ¼ inch thick. Mince the garlic. You should mince at least one whole head of garlic. The more the garlic the better with this recipe. In fact, when you think you have too much garlic, mince up another two or three cloves.
Cut up the broccoli too. If you don’t have fresh broccoli, you can use frozen.
Grate some cheese. I like to a mix a couple different kinds to make it interesting. For this pasta, I used locatelli, asiago, and aged provolone. Yum. I love cheese.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. While your water is heating, add olive oil to a sauté pan. Cook the pepperoni in the olive oil over low heat, being careful not to let the pepperoni get too crispy or burnt.
Add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes over low heat. Like the pepperoni, do not let the garlic get crispy or burn.
This garlicky olive oil and pepperoni grease mixture will be the sauce for the pasta. It’s simply divine.
Once your water is boiling, throw in the pasta and let it cook until it’s almost done. A few minutes before the pasta is done, add in the broccoli.
Continue to boil until the broccoli is bright green and tender and the pasta is al dente.
Drain the pasta and broccoli. Then stir in the pepperoni and garlic mixture.
And that’s it – ready to serve!
Aaahhhh. It smells so good and tastes even better. Before you dig in, top it with some of the freshly grated cheese.
Perfect bowl of deliciousness. Thank you, Grandma Sassi.
