Penne with Broccoli and Green Olives ~

Hello everybody~ I have found many good recipes in this little cookbook by Avner Laskin. It isn't unusual for me to get curious about a writer and look him up, then buy everything he's written. That might be profitable with someone like C. S. Lewis, but I won't do that with Avner and his 11 cookbooks, even though they all look interesting. But I went to his blog and tried one of his suggestions that was delicious, though I could hardly believe I tried it. Avner's advice was to take 3 oranges and slice them up on a plate. Salt and pepper them. Then drizzle olive oil of a good quality over them and let them sit for 30 minutes. The picture of sliced oranges is from his blog site. Now I have to tell you that my olive oil was not of high quality, such as the McEvoy I had from California, but the oranges tasted very nice and fresh. I really enjoyed them. It would be a perfect summerish "dessert."                                                      

The recipe from Avner Laskin's cookbook Olives: More than 70 Delicious & Healthy Recipes is not a bread this time. It's a simple dish with pasta, which we all love to eat, partly because it's so easy and delicious, and partly because it's both tasty and filling. Personally, I'm still eating the soup and olive bread that I made yesterday, but I'm going to make this recipe soon. The picture is from the Martha Stewart website and her recipe looks good, but not as good as this one to me. Sometimes you just have to go with your sense of the ingredients all taken together and let your heart take you into the recipe to decide! I got into many sites before it was over, and some of the blogs were all about curing your own green or black olives. I don't think that will be me, but one never knows where their curiousity will take them before it's over. Avner says: "When cooking the broccoli for this recipe, be careful not to overcook. It should be bright green and only slight tender." So here's the recipe.

PENNE WITH BROCCOLI AND GREEN OLIVES

Ingredients                                                                                               

Serves 4

12 cups water

2 tablespoons coarse salt

1/2 pound broccoli                                                                                     

1/2 cup pitted green olives, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

One 16 ounce package penne pasta

1/2 cup ricotta cheese, crumbled

Preparation

1. Bring the water and the coarse salt to a boil over high heat.
2. When the water is boiling, add the broccoli and cook for about 4 minutes.
3. Remove the broccoli from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl.
4. Add the olives, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix well.
5. Add the uncooked pasta to the boiling water and cook over low heat for 12 minutes.
6. Drain the pasta and add to the other ingredients. Mix well and transfer to plates to serve.

Sprinkle ricotta cheese over each serving and serve immediately.

I couldn't get yesterday's blog to post on Facebook, but it should be beneath this one on my blog. The olive bread that I made has a good taste and is very good with the soup. I want to try the olive bread recipe with olives and cheese stuffing. Today I'm going to lunch with Alice at Cracker Barrel, and might even get to see Quinlyn and Michael, who haven't felt well in a while. Please try a new recipe today!

Blessings...Mimi