There are two parts of this recipe that were new to me. One is pappardelle and the other is a concoction of ingredients known as gremolata. While I’d heard of pappardelle before, I had not heard of gremolata. In the past, I usually turned away from recipes that included words I had no clue about or ingredients I had difficulty finding. Familiarity is comfort.
Then, if I did step out of my comfortably padded box and look for, say, haloumi (do you know it?), I had difficulty finding it. I still haven’t found haloumi. What about sorrel?
Instead of ignoring unfamiliar words or ingredients, I started embracing them, filing them away in my virtual file cabinet so when I come across the ingredient or word, I either grab the ingredient off the shelf or farm stand or pin or print the recipe.
Yotam Ottolonghi has done this to me. After combing through and being inspired by his book Plenty, undeterred, I started to become bolder in my quest to add more ingredient and ingredient combination variety to my life.
Yotam titled this recipe Crunchy Pappardelle, but I took the liberty of changing it up a bit because, well, the Pappardelle is not crunchy in and of itself. I’m kinda literal like that.
And while he does not use the term gremolata anywhere in his recipe, I later learned a mix of garlic, parsley and lemon zest is otherwise known as gremolata. With panko added, one now has a crunchy gremolata. So a new name, Pappadelle with Broccolini and Crunchy Gremolata, has been issued, with an almost unchanged recipe and with all due respect.
Am I making sense?
Pappardelle (pa-par-DAY-lay) is an Italian eggy pasta that is usually served with a hearty, rich sauce. It is derived from the verb pappare meaning “to gobble up.” I can see why. Restraint is not my strong suit when it comes to pasta.
I finally located dried pappardelle at our local wine/gourmet shop. It had been there all along it just wasn’t on my radar until I came across Yotam’s recipe in Plenty.
While there’s much hands-on-time involved in preparing this recipe, it comes together quickly. I can easily put this together for a weeknight meal or a special occasion. I am always tempted to serve up some crusty sourdough with this dish, yet I resist. It is super rich, so a little goes a long way. Serve with a salad, a good bottle of red, and a delicious meal is ready.
the recipe
Pappardelle with Broccolini and Crunchy Gremolata
Ingredients
For the Gremolata:
- 3 Tbs Panko Bread Crumbs
- 1 tsp Lemon Zest
- 1 Clove Large of Garlic microplaned
- 3 Tbs Fresh Parsley chopped
For the Sauce:
- 3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 1/2 C Cremini Mushrooms destemmed and sliced (I used 2 6-oz packages)
- 1/2 C White Wine
- 1 Bayleaf
- 3 leaves Sprigs of Thyme destemmed, chopped (about 1-1 1/2 tsp)
- 1/2 tsp Granulated Sugar
- 3/4 C Heavy Cream
- 1/8 tsp Sea Salt
- 1/4 tsp Ground Pepper
- 1/2 Lemon juiced
For the Pasta and Broccolini:
- 6 oz Dried Pappardelle
- 2-3 C Reserved Pasta Water
- 1 in Bunch of Broccolini cut on the bias 1" pieces (8 oz)
For Garnish:
- 1/2 Lemon sliced thin or cut into wedges
Instructions
For the Gremolata:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Toast the Panko Bread Crumbs for 7 minutes or until golden.
- Once the breadcrumbs are cool, toss with the lemon zest, garlic and parsley. Set aside.
For the Sauce:
- In large 3 1/2-quart sauté pan, gently heat the olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cook until they start taking on a darker color, about 6 minutes, stir only occasionally to get a good sear on them. Add wine, thyme, bayleaf, sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer until reduced by 2/3, about 9 minutes. Remove bayleaf and discard. Add salt, pepper and cream. Stir. Remove from heat.Taste to see if seasoning needs adjusting. Place lid on sauce to keep warm.
For the Pasta and Broccolini:
- Fill a large sauce pot 3/4 full of water and bring to a boil for the pasta. Cook the pappardelle according to package directions (mine took about 11 minutes). Drain over a large spouted bowl or measuring cup, reserving the pasta water.
- Fill a small sauce pot 1/2 full of water and bring to a simmer. Place the broccolini in the simmering water and blanche for two minutes. Strain and run cold tap water over the broccolini to stop it from cooking further. Set aside.
To Assemble:
- Place sauce on low heat to reheat. To the sauce, add the pasta. Toss well assessing how much pasta water to add. I add about 1/2 cup at a time and toss gently after each addition. Keep adding pasta water until desired consistency. (I usually add about 2-3 C of pasta water)
- Add the broccolini and lemon juice and toss to gently reheat.
- Taste for seasoning adjustment, adding a few grinds of pepper if needed.
Plate-up and finish:
- Plate the pasta, finishing each serving with a good sprinkle of the crunchy gremolata. Serve with a wedge of lemon for squeezing.
Notes
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