Making this dish was a bonafide relay race that I was not prepared for. It’s silly, really. I glanced at the ingredients and the overall process (which is like a lot of other pasta+veggie dishes) and figured this would be one of the most simple recipes I’d attempt in this project. In one sense, it was easy - no new techniques, no crazy ingredients.
On the other hand, everything happens so fast. Because I didn’t prep most of the ingredients ahead of time, the assembly had me flying around the kitchen at a stress-inducing pace. When one thing needed to be added to this pan, something else had to be stirred in the other, or chopped, or drained. At one point, I didn’t have enough hands to keep it all going, so I yelled at Jordan to come stir some tomato paste so it didn’t burn. (Yelled at? Politely asked? You can ask him.)
My lowest moment was while cooking the chorizo, a drop of oil splattered and hit me right above my eye. A close call, and quite painful. I had to laugh though. I was so sure it’d be a breeze!
There are five separate elements that all happen on their own and come together at the end. 1. Tomato paste/garlic/spices, all sautéed in a pan until nice n’ toasty. 2. Baby broccoli, trimmed, chopped and coated by the tomato paste mixture. 3. Chorizo (or spicy Italian sausage), cases removed and cooked until fully browned. 4. Breadcrumbs, sautéed in a pan with oil, salt and pepper, until golden and crunchy. 5. Pasta with some saved cooking water.
For all of the hullabaloo, it was a nice meal. I like that I didn’t feel the need to make anything else to go with it, too. My only request would be for more tomato flavor. Though a full ¼ cup of tomato paste is used, it seemed to be lost by the time everything else was added.
The next day, Jordan sheepishly asked if I would ever be willing to make this dish again. I asked why he seemed so hesitant. He said “because you seemed pretty upset while you were making it.” We both laughed. It’s true, I was flustered. Next time, I’ll just be a little more prepared.
34 recipes cooked, 191 recipes to go.
