Broccoli-Dill Pasta

Recipe from Bryant Terry

Adapted by Tejal Rao

Published April 5, 2020

Broccoli-Dill Pasta
Jenny Huang for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Sophie Leng.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(443)
Comments
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Bryant Terry, an Oakland, Calif., chef with two young daughters, developed this recipe to make eating broccoli a treat. It worked: Blanched and puréed with lemon, garlic and a little of what he calls “umami powder,” the broccoli transforms into a deeply flavorful vegan spread that’s also highly adaptable. Thin it with pasta water and toss it with hot noodles, as seen here, or scrape it into a bowl as a dip for crudités. Spread it onto a thick piece of toast and cover it with sliced radishes, dill and crunchy salt. Use some to drown a softly poached egg, drizzle with olive oil, and eat with a spoon, or to dress warm white beans, then shower them with black pepper and grated cheese. Whatever you do, don’t skip rinsing the broccoli with cold water after you blanch it; the step keeps the spread a vibrant green. —Tejal Rao

Featured in: This Broccoli-Dill Pasta Has a Hippie Twist. Your Kids Will Love It.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings, plus extra umami powder

    For the Umami Powder

    • ¾ounce dried porcini mushrooms, roughly chopped
    • ¾cup whole raw cashews
    • 3tablespoons nutritional yeast
    • 2tablespoons raw pine nuts
    • 1teaspoon fine sea salt

    For the Sauce

    • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
    • 1medium head broccoli, cut into florets, thick stem reserved for another use
    • 8ounces dried pasta, such as spaghetti
    • ½cup loosely packed roughly chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
    • 1large garlic clove, minced
    • ⅓cup umami powder
    • ½cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • Fresh lemon juice, as needed
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the umami powder: Grind the porcini in a spice grinder until pulverized, then transfer to a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and pulse until the mixture is broken down into a fine meal. Transfer to a jar or lidded container. (Makes about 1¼ cups.)

  3. Step 3

    Prepare the pasta: Season the boiling water with salt, then add the broccoli and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the broccoli, then rinse with cold water and gently pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until tender.

  4. Step 4

    While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce: In the same food processor (no need to wash it out), combine the cooked broccoli, dill, garlic and ⅓ cup umami powder; process until finely chopped. With the machine running, slowly pour in the oil. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a spatula, and blend again, then season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

  5. Step 5

    Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water and drain the cooked pasta. Return the pasta to the pot, and toss with broccoli sauce, thinning with a splash of the reserved pasta water if needed to help coat the pasta. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with a sprinkle of umami powder and fresh dill.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
443 user ratings
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Comments

KBP

I'd love a recession friendly substitute for the pine nuts, and I'm sure others would as well!

Apples'nOranges

Recession friendly substitute for pine nuts: half raw pumpkin seeds, half roasted sunflower seeds. Good for pesto.

Jon Schneider

We had neither broccoli nor dill so I used farmer's market spinach and cilantro (slightly past its prime) instead. I did have all of the ingredients for the umami even porcini from last season's haul. The result was the consistency of a pesto and truly excellent! The umami is a revelation and will be a kitchen staple!

Nancy

I made this according to the recipe, except using walnuts instead of pine nuts. It was delicious. I did a taste test with the umami powder made from the recipe and the Trader Joe's product. Both were tasty, but the commercial product was very salty.

Canuck Cook

This was so good! I cooked the chopped broccoli stem and florets and the whole garlic clove with the pasta, then fished them out and puréed them. I reduced the dill to 1/3 cup, given other comments. I only used a tablespoon or so of olive oil, and added pasta water instead to loosen the sauce. The umami powder is addictive!

Ellen McC.

Can only take cashews in small measure, what is a recommended substitute, perhaps walnut?

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Credits

Adapted from “Vegetable Kingdom” by Bryant Terry (Ten Speed Press, 2020)

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