Broccoli Sauce with Pasta

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1
  1. In a large pot, bring 1.5 liters of water to a boil for cooking the pasta. Meanwhile, chop the broccoli florets into very small pieces (ideally, use only the dark green tops of the florets; you can add the leftover stems to a soup, for example). Place the chopped broccoli in a large fine sieve. Once the water in the pot starts boiling, salt it, add the pasta, and cook it for 6–8 minutes over medium heat. Meanwhile, peel the onion and garlic, chop the peeled onion finely, and crush the garlic cloves.
• 2
  A moment before the pasta is done, remove 400 ml of water from the pot and set it aside. Then let the pasta finish cooking and drain it through the sieve with the chopped broccoli – this way, you will blanch the broccoli and drain the pasta at the same time.
• 3
  In a larger pan, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil, add the chopped onion, and sauté it for 3–4 minutes over low heat.
• 4
  Add butter and crushed garlic to the pan and sauté everything for another 30-60 seconds over low heat.
• 5
  Sprinkle the mixture in the pan with plain flour and sauté everything for another 2-3 minutes over low heat.
• 6
  Now pour 100 ml of the pasta cooking water into the pan and stir to ensure there are no flour lumps in the mixture. Then, over the course of 4–6 minutes, gradually pour the remaining 300 ml of pasta cooking water into the pan in 3 batches: Pour 100 ml of water into the pan each time, stir well, and wait about 80–120 seconds before adding the next batch of water. Maintain low heat throughout. Before proceeding, make sure the resulting mixture has a thick consistency and does not taste like flour.
• 7
  Add the cooked pasta, blanched broccoli, grated Parmesan, and grated Gouda to the pan, slightly increase the heat, and sauté the entire mixture for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the Parmesan and Gouda melt.
• 8
  Season the mixture in the pan with salt and pepper, divide it into 2 portions, and serve immediately. You can sprinkle additional Parmesan on top of each portion if desired.