Pasta with broccoli....a traditional Palermo recipe

This recipe really brings me back.
Mama used to make this recipe every Thursday, it was a sacred day for pasta al broccoli.

500 gr italian maccheroni
1000 gr broccoli
40 gr raisins
40 gr pine nuts
2 anchovy fillets preserved in salted oil
1 pinch of saffron
1 large onion
1 tablespoon tomato concentrate
oil, salt and pepper

Start by cutting the broccoli into apricot-sized florets. Fill the largest saucepan you have with water, salt profusely and bring to a boil. Immerse the broccoli and remove them with a sieve when they are cooked but still crunchy - about 8 minutes. Put them in a covered bowl. Do not discard the water.

In a large saucepan, fry the finely chopped onion in a little olive oil over medium-high heat. When the onions are pale brown, add the chopped anchovies and cook for another minute or so.

Add the tomato concentrate and a glass of the broccoli's cooking water. Mix well and bring to a boil.

Add the raisins and pine nuts and boil for a few more minutes. Add the saffron but not too soon as the heat would vaporize some of its delicate fragrance.

Cook the pasta in the same water as the broccoli. 

Undercook by at least 2 minutes - crunchier than al dente. This is needed as the pasta will later be left to infuse in the sauce and will thus continue to cook.

... then add the cooked pasta and leave covered for 10 minutes or as long as you can wait.

Serve with the softest pecorino coarsely grated or no cheese at all.

This is a most memorable dish with a very classy and delicate saffron taste that combines perfectly with the raisins and pine nuts. A beautiful illustration of the Sicilian genius for marrying North African influences to a shared Italian heritage.

I recommend this book by Andrea Camillieri "The Snack Thief," and many more by this author.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0330492977/fxc-20