Shrimp Pasta with Broccoli

This riff on cacio e pepe comes together quickly. It is not cacia e pepe, because it uses parmigiano reggiano cheese instead of peccorino romano and it contains add-ins that the traditional recipe does not contain, but it is tasty. I used bucatini because I had it, but it would work with a variety of pasta shapes.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Bring the salted water to a boil. You should have enough water for the pasta to move freely in the pot, but not much more. You don't want clumpy, gummy pasta, but you do want starchy pasta water, so exercise judgment with both the water and the salt. This is the only salt in the recipe as the cheese adds plenty, so add as much salt as you would if you were making buttered noodles. When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the pasta to it and start the sauce.

Step 2

Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet and briefly toast the black pepper and garlic. Be careful that the garlic does not brown. Add the shrimp and broccoli and cook until the shrimp is about half cooked. Add the wine and allow it to reduce slightly to boil off the alcohol. By now the shrimp will be cooked, so scoop it and the broccoli out to avoid rubbery shrimp. Try to keep as much liquid in the pan as possible. Alternatively, you can simply take the whole pan, shrimp and all, off the heat until the pasta is almost al dente and then put it back on when you're ready to add the pasta.

Step 3

Scoop the pasta out of the cooking water and drop it straight into the skillet with the garlicky shrimp and broccoli. Water will cling to the pasta, and that's fine. It creates an emulsion and makes the sauce creamy. Stir it around and if it seems too dry, add more starchy pasta water. Allow it to simmer for a moment or two until the pasta is fully al dente, then stir in the cheese, reserving a few tablespoons of cheese for garnish. Finely grated aged parmigiano reggiano will integrate with the sauce immediately and thicken the emulsion. This is not the time for the green jar cheese. If the sauce is too thick, you can add more pasta water, as needed.

Step 4

Serve, garnished with the reserved cheese and additional freshly ground black pepper. A little freshly chopped parsley and/or crushed red pepper might be nice, too.

Step 5

This recipe is deliberately flexible, and you should vary it according to your tastes. Kale or spinach would work instead of broccoli, or use chicken strips or another seafood in place of shrimp. Or you could go traditional and use the peccorino romano or maybe go further afield and use a grana padano or asiago. Experiment, use what you have, and have fun!