Pasta ala Chef Michael Chiarello

So, we were at the Orange County Fair and happened to catch Chef Michael Chiarello giving a cooking demonstration. One of the dishes that he whipped up was this amazing pasta that we tried at home. It was out of this world.

You need sliced garlic, olive oil, salt, Kampot pepper, pasta, a bottle of cheap red wine, red pepper flakes and broccoli.

Pour the entire bottle of wine into a sauce pan and reduce it by about half. Set aside.

Get your water boiling in another large pot then toss in the broccoli crowns to blanch. When the water returns to a boil take the broccoli out and set them aside. Keep the water in the pot.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan and add the sliced garlic. Brown the garlic, then add the broccoli, salt, Kampot pepper and some red pepper flakes to saute. Remove broccoli from pan.

Pour the reduced wine into the pan with the garlic and bring the wine to a boil.

Then cook your pasta in the same water you used to blanch the broccoli. Don't cook it all the way. In fact, when it softens up enough to bend, transfer it into the pan with the wine. Cook the pasta the rest of the way in the wine. Mix in broccoli and serve. Top with Parmesan cheese.