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➣Choose avocados that are ripe but still firm. An avocado that is too mushy and has brown spots will not work here. If it’s warm in your house, once the avocado is ripe you should refrigerate it for several hours—this way, it will hold its shape when peeled and sliced. For this recipe, slice the avocado in half and remove the seed. Peel off the skin, then slice each half lengthwise down the middle. Next, slice across into chunks.

½ pound linguine

3 cups sliced broccoli (tops cut into small florets, stalks sliced thinly)

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 cloves garlic, minced (yes 8, that’s not a typo!)

¼ teaspoon grated lime zest

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ cup white wine

1 cup vegetable broth

2 tablespoons lime juice (juice of 1 lime, depending on the juiciness of your lime)

½ teaspoon salt

Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper

4 cups loosely packed arugula leaves

2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced into 1-inch chunks (see tip)

BRING A large pot of water to boil and prep all your ingredients while the water boils, because this dish comes together in no time. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions, usually about 10 minutes. In the last minute of cooking you will be adding the broccoli, so keep that in mind.

Meanwhile, preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, garlic, lime zest, and red pepper flakes, and gently heat, stirring often, for about 2 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Pour in the wine and raise the heat to bring to a boil, to reduce the wine, about 2 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, lime juice, salt, and pepper, and bring again to a boil. Once the sauce is boiling, lower the heat to a simmer. Add the arugula.

By this point the pasta should be almost done, so add the broccoli to the boiling pasta and cook for 1 more minute. Drain all into a colander.

When the arugula is wilted, add the broccoli and pasta to the pan and use a pasta spoon to toss it around, making sure to get everything coated in garlic. Cook for about 3 more minutes. Add the avocado and turn off the heat. Gently toss the pasta for another minute to incorporate the avocado without smushing it, just until it is warmed through.

Serve with generous grinds of black pepper. There is usually a lot of garlic left in the pan, so be sure to spoon that over your bowls of pasta.

PENNE VODKA

SERVES 4

TIME: 35 MINUTES

No Brooklyn Italian restaurant is complete without this classic creamy tomato dish. We blend almonds into the sauce to get that expected creaminess and a little fresh basil to bring it home.

2 teaspoons olive oil

4 cloves minced garlic

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

¼ cup vodka

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon salt

A few dashes fresh black pepper

½ cup sliced or slivered almonds

¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil, plus a little extra for garnish.

½ pound penne

BRING a pot of water to boil for the pasta. Preheat a saucepan over medium/low heat. Add the oil, garlic and crushed red pepper to the saucepan and sauté for about a minute, until fragrant, being careful not to burn. Add the crushed tomatoes, vodka, thyme, oregano, salt and black pepper. Cover, and turn the heat up a bit to bring to a simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, add pasta to the water and cook according to package directions.

Once the sauce has simmered for 20 minutes, add the almonds. Use an immersion blender to blend the almonds into the sauce until creamy and only slightly grainy (see page 211). The pasta should be done by now, so drain and set aside. Add the basil to the sauce, and mix the sauce and pasta together in the pot. Serve, garnished with a little extra chopped basil.

PASTA E FAGIOLI

SERVES 4

TIME: 35 MINUTES

Sometimes pronounced pasta fazool by real NewYorkers, fagioli is beans to you, bub. This is a simple but filling dish that