Roasted broccoli, preserved lemon, Calabrian chile, and brown rice pasta

This recipe came from the cookbook vegetarian salad for dinner by Jeanne Kelley. In her recipe she uses whole wheat pasta, which would be a good alternative. I wanted to make the salad gluten free and had brown rice penne in the pantry. Serve this salad at room temperature, it’s vegan, gluten and dairy free as written. For extra protein a bit of crumbled feta ups the flavor but is not necessary.

I often roast cauliflower but forget that broccoli is also delicious roasted, especially when there are some crispy bits. Roasting sweetens the broccoli, combining it with preserved lemons and Calabrian chiles ups the the salty and tangy notes.

Roasted broccoli, preserved lemon, Calabrian chile, and brown rice pasta

Ingredients: (serves 4)

• 2 to 2-1/2 pounds of broccoli (about 2 bunches)
• 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces of dried penne or small macaroni, any kind (about 2 cups)
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated on a microplane or crushed through a garlic press
• 3 tablespoons of chopped preserved lemon (rind only)
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of minced Calabrian chiles
• Optional: 6 ounces of crumbled fresh feta cheese

Method:

1. Position your oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
2. Cover 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
3. Cut the broccoli into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces. Place the cut broccoli in a large bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoon of the olive oil. Toss with your hands to mix well and coat with oil. Divide the broccoli between the pans. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
4. Roast until tender browned with some crisp edges. This took about 20 minutes, I switched the locations of the pans after 10. Cool.
5. Boil the pasta in rapidly boiling salted water until tender but firm to the bite. Drain and transfer to a large bowl (I used the same one that contained the broccoli in step 3).
6. Immediately add the garlic and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss well to coat the pasta. Add the broccoli, preserved lemon and lemon juice.
7. Add the Calabrian chiles gradually until you have the desired heat.
8. Add the optional feta if using.

Roasted broccoli, preserved lemon, Calabrian chile, and brown rice pasta

Serve at room temperature.