Oricchete with caramelized lemon and broccoli

Little ears is the kind of pasta called. They are very small and good for many different vegetable sauces. But they have one downside, they take an awful long time to cook.

This is a recipe you will find in the south of Italy, were lemons and almonds and pistacchios grow. I had something like that during my trip to the Amalfitana. The caramelized lemon adds a distinct tarteness to the dish and a lot of flavour. I even bought a lemon grown in Italy, but not the kind I saw on every market stand or grocer down there. These lemons are larger and knobblier then the standart ones they sell here. I know, that the taste of a dish like this in Italy is a lot richer.


recipe:
200 g oricchette pasta
250 g broccoli
50 g arugula
3 spring onions
5 tbsp butter
4 tbsp ground almonds
30 g whole pistacchios
1 lemon
1/2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper

Clean the broccoli florets and cut them into bite size chunks, chop the spring onions and cut the lemon into slices.In a big pot with heavy salted water cook the broccoli for 4 min, drain with a slotted spoon and put into cold water, drain.

In the same boiling water cook the pasta. That will take about 15 min.
In a wide pan in1 tbsp butter colour the lemons and give the onions a few minutes. Sprinkle some sugar on to the lemons and caramelize them more. Take both out of the pan.
Add more butter, the broccoli and the almonds and pistacchios, season well. Coat them well in the almonds.
Add the drained pasta and some cooking water, put the lemons and onions back in and give it a good toss.
Wash the arugula /rocket/ and cut of the long stems. Place them on the bottom of the plate and ladle the pasta on top.