Directions

Recipe prep.

“Shaving” the broccolini is a simple process: Remove the little leaves from the stalks. Rinse and shake the stalks to remove excess water. Working with one-stalk-at-a-time, lay it down on the cutting board, parallel to the bottom edge of the board. Hold the broccolini stalk steady with one hand and slice across or ‘shave’ the head and about an inch down the stalk. Do not slice too much of the stalk as it gets thicker and tougher as you move further away from the head. (Leftover stalks can be used in stocks or soups.) Set aside the shaved broccolini in a bowl.

Choose a sauté pan that will hold all the prepped ingredients. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over low heat and add the minced onion to the pan. Increase heat a bit, add a pinch of kosher salt and cook until onions are almost translucent. Stir in the minced/sliced garlic and add the diced prosciutto to the pan. Continue to cook over low/medium heat to render the prosciutto a bit. Do not let the mixture burn or darken.

Add the reserved shaved broccolini to the pan of sautéed onions and prosciutto. Stir to mix well. Add a touch of kosher salt. Cover the pan and cook over low heat until the broccolini has completely softened into the onions and prosciutto mix.

Bring a pot of water to a boil to cook the pasta. Add kosher salt when the water comes to a boil. Add the pasta and cook to ‘al dente’. Drain, but save 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Add the drained pasta to another bowl and drizzle with a teaspoon or two of olive oil and toss to coat (this will prevent the pasta from sticking while you finish up the recipe). And cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a plate to keep the pasta warm. Add most of the cannellini beans to the mixture—sometimes you want more beans and sometimes you want less... you decide. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and stir well to combine and reheat all the ingredients together. Add some of the reserved pasta-cooking water to the pan to loosen the ingredients and create a saucy texture. Add grated parmigiana cheese and plenty of fresh ground black pepper. (The fresh ground black pepper is key here, it will “marry” the broccolini and prosciutto flavors to the finished dish.) Serve immediately.