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Ingredients
Serves: 4
Time: 30 minutes
- 1 head broccoli
- 350g macaroni or lumache pasta
- 25g butter
- 250ml double cream
- Pinch chilli flakes
- 100g cheddar cheese
- 100g parmesan, plus extra to garnish
- 100g Philadelphia
- Zest of ½ a lemon
- For the topping
- 30g butter
- 1 small onion
- 50g roasted hazelnuts
- 35g panko breadcrumbs
- ½ a lemon
- Olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Separate the main stalk from the broccoli and chop into small pieces. Chop the florets into similar sized pieces.
- Heat up a frying pan, fry the broccoli with some salt and pepper. Add a splash of water and put a lid on to let it steam for a few minutes.
- Get a saucepan of water to boil and cook the pasta according to the packets instructions.
- When boiling, add the chopped stalk and cook for 4 minutes, now add the florets and cook for a further 4 minutes and drain, reserving a little of the cooking liquid.
- Grate the parmesan and cheddar cheese and set aside.
- Cut the onion for the topping into small dice then add to the same frying pan along with the butter and a pinch of salt. Cook for a few minutes to soften. Meanwhile, place the hazelnuts into a pestle and mortar and bash to a rough crumb. When the onion is softened and the hazelnuts and panko to the frying pan and toast until the nuts are fragrant and the panko is golden. Season with salt and lemon zest then remove from the pan and set aside.
- Once the broccoli has cooked out all the water, mash it all to a fine paste, add the cream cheese, stir it through together with the double cream. Let it come up to a steady simmer. Add the chilli flakes, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Mix it all together before adding in the grated cheese and mix this through well.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and mix it all together.
- Serve in bowls and garnish with the crispy topping, a good glug of extra virgin olive oil and tuck in!
