Ingredients

Step by step

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cut the broccoli stalk from the broccoli, roughly chop, and add to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes while you cut the remaining broccoli into florets; add to the pan. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes until very tender.
2. Meanwhile heat a frying pan, add the pine nuts and gently cook over a low heat until golden and toasted, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in the frying pan and cook the onion for about 5 minutes until tender, but don’t allow it to brown. Add the garlic; cook for 1 minute.
4. Using a slotted spoon, remove the broccoli and stalk from the pan and add to the onions and garlic in the frying pan. Bring the water back up to the boil, add the pasta and cook for 10-12 minutes until tender.
5. Turn the heat off under the frying pan, and using a potato masher, crush the broccoli until it is broken up and like a coarse pesto. Add a ladleful of cooking water from the pasta pan (about 125ml) to help mash it. Stir through the Parmesan, the pine nuts and the chilli flakes, if using, and season.
6. Drain the pasta, return to the pan and toss with the broccoli pesto. Serve with extra Parmesan.