This is one of my favourite types of dishes: a quick cook, quick carb, where the sauce takes as little time to make as the pasta. Broccoli and blue cheese are a classic combination, and with the crunch of hazelnuts and the creamy sauce, this feels like a special dinner, even though it takes just minutes to pull together. It serves two generously – we stretched it to three at lunchtime, so you may have enough for a lunchbox the next day.
Orecchiette with purple sprouting broccoli, blue cheese and hazelnuts
Prep 10 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 2-3
50g blanched hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
200g orecchiette
230g purple sprouting broccoli, roughly chopped
75ml double cream
100g stilton or your preferred blue cheese, crumbled
Juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp chilli flakes
If the hazelnuts are not ready-toasted, pop them in a 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 oven for 10 minutes, then remove and cool before chopping.
Bring a big pan of salted water to a boil, and cook the orecchiette for 10-12 minutes, or according to the packet instructions, adding the broccoli to the pot for the final two minutes of cooking. Drain the pasta and broccoli well, then return them to the pan off the heat.
Add the double cream, three quarters of the stilton, a teaspoon of salt, the lemon juice, chilli flakes and plenty of black pepper, and mix well. Taste and adjust the salt as needed, then serve immediately in warmed bowls topped with the remaining stilton, toasted hazelnuts and more chilli flakes, if you wish.
