Spaghetti with Broccoli and Gorgonzola Cheese Recipe
Spaghetti with Broccoli and Gorgonzola Cheese

Broccoli is such a tormented vegetable.

For all the lip service given to its flavor and its health benefits, the vegetable isn't treated as the culinary wonder it is.

Some cooks drown it with water and boil the vibrant green color out of it; others give it a pass through hot water so it remains tough and hard to digest.

That's a shame because broccoli is an ideal choice for a twosome, when well prepared. One small head of broccoli serves two in a side dish, soup, stir-fry or pasta entree.

Fortunately, broccoli is actually easy and foolproof to make if you skip the cooking extremes.

To prepare fresh broccoli as a simple side dish, remove the tough outside skin of the stalk with a vegetable peeler. Either slice the stalk 1/4 inch thick or cut it into 1/2-inch dice. Cut the florets into 1-inch pieces. Cook the broccoli in salted boiling water for 5 to 8 minutes, or until you can pierce the stalk with a fork, but before the hue turns olive green. Serve hot.

In recipes that call for cooking vegetables together, such as the following spaghetti recipe, blanching the broccoli first assures that all the ingredients are tender at the same time. Cut up the broccoli as described, then cook it in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, or until the vegetable turns bright green but is not yet tender.

Spaghetti with Broccoli and Gorgonzola Cheese

Makes 2 servings.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 small thinly sliced red onion

2 cups blanched broccoli florets (florets from one small head; see note)

1/8 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 ounces spaghetti, cooked

1/2 cup half-and-half

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Heat the oil in a large skillet Add garlic and onion and cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes. Add broccoli and cook 5 minutes longer or until broccoli is tender, but not mushy. Add salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low. Add spaghetti, half-and-half and Gorgonzola, and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently or until cheese melts and forms a sauce. Serve immediately.

Note: Save the stalk and refrigerate it up to a week to use in a stir-fry or soup.

Each serving has: 460 calories; 23.5 grams total fat; 17.5 grams protein; 44.5 grams carbohydrates; 48 milligrams cholesterol; 642 milligrams sodium and 4 grams dietary fiber.

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Spaghetti with Broccoli and Gorgonzola Cheese - Recipe

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