This Sicilian recipe is considered genial, delicious and simple at the same time. It is mainly prepared by using an only simple Sicilian vegetable: broccoli. Beware: this verdure has a different meaning in the several Sicilian towns. If you taste pasta with broccoli in Catania, you’ll find the real pasta with green broccoli on the plate , while if you eat it in Palermo, you’ll find pasta with cauliflower, which is a vegetable with a double color: white and purple. This recipe also contains tomato, while the sauce of the true pasta with broccoli has not tomato. Well, now you have fully understood the difference between the pasta with broccoli and the one with cauliflower, we can turn our attention just to the preparation of the recipe.
To make a tasty pasta with broccoli, cut leaves and flower heads of a medium-size broccolo, wash them under the faucet and boil in a pot filled with salted water. Leave to boil until the broccoli have become soft, 20 minutes, at least, overall. In the meanwhile, in another pan, brown olive extra virgin oil, garlic, black olives, pepper, 50g of pine nuts and 50g of raisins. As soon as this sauce the its ingredients have softened, add to the flower heads and the leaves of the broccoli you boiled previously and brown for a few minutes. In the pot where broccoli boiled, add 600 g of bucatini and cook for 10 minutes. Then, remove the pasta from the pot and transfer it into the pan with the browned sauce.
Leave on the flame for another five minutes, at least, mix the entire mixture, then turn off the flame, add a lid and leave to rest for further a five minutes. After this time, you can serve and taste this delicious recipe. Don’t forget, before eating this dish, to sprinkle some Sicilian cheese on the sauce with broccoli. The most known Sicilian cheeses are caciocavallo and pecorino.
They are made in the district of Ragusa. Moreover, besides being delicious, pasta with broccoli is also very healthy, because broccoli are vegetables, which belong to the cabbage family, a group of plants that are all recognized to prevent cancer and foster lose weight. These same features belong to the similar recipe with cauliflower, but as I said, this is not the original recipe of the pasta with broccoli. Indeed, the latter is also made with a sauce containing tomato and salted anchovies. In Catania, this recipe is called “ The bastards”, just because, in Palermo, it is mistaken for pasta with broccoli.
Where to eat pasta with broccoli in Sicily
In addition to prepare pasta with broccoli at your home, you can also eat it during your vacation in Sicily You can order this recipes at the restaurants of Catania and Palermo. Usually , this recipe is offered at the Sicilian taverns specialized in traditional Sicilian recipes. It is also probable, you can eat pasta with broccoli at many Sicilian farmhouses. Hence, to avoid gaining some extra pounds during your Sicilian vacation, book your stay at a farmhouse which prepares ancient, healthy and tasty Sicilian recipes such as pasta with broccoli.
Rosalba Mancuso is a freelance journalist born in Sicily. Passionate about her loved island and with extensive writing experience, Rosalba worked as a contributor to the main Sicily’s newspapers and as a bilingual Italian – English writer. Thanks to her skills, she also founded four websites in English. On Sicilyonweb, Rosalba tells every corner of her beloved Sicily. Furthermore, she writes this blog thanks to your help. Rosalba, in fact, earns a small commission, with no cost for you, when you book your travel or buy products through the affiliate widgets or links you find in her posts.
How many servings does this make?
Hi Karen, the recipe I wrote in the post is for six people.
Thank you Rosalba. It looks delicious. I will try it
I prepared this recipe many times, dear Karen, and I confirm you it is absolutely delicious!
I have some siting in my refrigerator right now. My grandmother (who was from Ragusa) used to make it, but with garlic and no raisins or olives. I will, however, try your recipe We will be travelling soon to Sicily and looking forward to Scaccia Ragusana, which cannot be found anywhere in the U.S.!
Hi Mark,
Thanks for sharing your grandmother’s recipe with me.
I know the recipe with garlic, but the version I explained here is more tasteful and comes from Catania.
Anyway, ingredients such as olives, raisins, onions and sun-dried tomatoes are also in the scaccia ragusana. You are right. It is impossible to find certain delicacies out of Sicily. Have a good travel to my wonderful island, then.
I used to make broccoli pasta without the raisins, olives and pine nuts (thank you, Inspector Montalbano!), but made this for us all tonight and it is delicious! The only broccoli pasta recipe I’ll ever need!
Thank you, Rosalba!
Thank you Ken, for appreciating this recipe from Sicily.
What you prepared thanks to this post is the original Sicilian recipe.
I am very happy you found it delicious, just the way it really is.
Have joyful dinners, then!