Fusili with Broccoli Pesto

There was a time when one could say my mom was somewhat of a local celebrity in Westport, CT. Friends and family always raved about her cooking, but it wasn’t until we moved next door to the owner of the largest super market in the area that her talent made its public debut. This week’s recipe, a Marie Garofalo original, was published in the Stew Leonard’s cookbook when I was in middle school. For months after the cookbook was released, people recognized my mother from the picture published alongside her recipe and would compliment her by saying how much their families enjoyed the recipe.

Fusili with broccoli pesto has been one of my favorite dishes since I was very young. It is a great comfort food during cold winter months. Broccoli pesto can be served with any kind of pasta that you desire, but it goes best with fusili or buccatini. Also, the broccoli pesto stays good for quite some time in the freezer so you can make extra and save it for another time.

? cup pine nuts

? cup olive oil

1 tsp. olive oil for pine nuts

2 bunches broccoli crowns

4 cloves garlic peeled and crushed

? cup grated Romano cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1.5 lbs. fusili pasta

Start by toasting the pine nuts on the stove by placing them in a pan with 1 tsp. of olive oil on medium heat. Cook while gently shaking the pan back and forth for four to five minutes or until they turn golden. Set aside. Cut broccoli into quarters, place in a large pot and add salted water until broccoli is covered. Bring to a boil. After approximately seven to 10 minutes, or when tender, remove broccoli from pot with a slotted spoon and reserve the cooking water.

While broccoli is cooking, sautee the garlic with 1/3 cup of olive oil until garlic is golden. Place the broccoli in the bowl of your food processor and add garlic, pine nuts, Romano cheese, salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle in the remaining olive oil while pureeing the broccoli mixture. Puree until the mixture is smooth but not pasty. If necessary, add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of reserve broccoli cooking water to maintain proper consistency.

Add additional water to the remaining broccoli cooking water in the large pot and bring to a boil. When the water starts to boil, put in the pasta and lower heat so that water is only slightly boiling. Cook pasta until it is al dente, take the pot off of the stove and drain pasta. Be sure to save some of the water.

Put pasta back into the pot and mix with half of the broccoli puree. Transfer to a large serving bowl and add in the rest of the broccoli puree. If necessary use some of the reserved water to prevent your completed product from getting dry and clumpy. Serve with grated Romano cheese.

Long Island Iced Tea

It might sound like a perfectly harmless beverage, but think again. Names can certainly be deceiving.

2 oz. (4 parts) vodka

1 oz. (2 parts) gin

1 oz. (2 parts) white tequila

1 oz. (2 parts) white rum

? oz. (1 part) white cr??me de menthe

2 oz. (4 parts) fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. bar sugar

Cola

Lime wedge

Combine all of the ingredients, except for cola and lime, in a cocktail shaker with cracked ice. Shake well and strain into chilled glass (preferably a Collins glass) over ice cubes. Fill the remainder of the glass with cola and stir gently.

Garnish with the lime wedge. Enjoy!