- Kidman’s crispy orecchiette recipe was featured in Paul Newman’s 1998 cookbook.
- The pasta gets pan-fried for a crunchy, golden texture that pasta lovers will crave.
- Finished with broccoli, garlic, pine nuts and Parm, it’s a dish full of flavor and flair.
Nicole Kidman has publicly admitted (on several occasions) to being a not-great cook. But having created a dish so tasty that it was included in Paul Newman’s 1998 Newman’s Own Cookbook, we think the award-winning actress is actually a better cook than she might think. And this simple pasta dish is proof.
The flavors in Kidman’s Crispy Orecchiette With Broccoli, Pine Nuts, and Garlic alone are enough to convince us that she knows what she’s doing in the kitchen, but it’s an unexpected step that seals the deal—and it will have lovers of crunchy lasagna corners going back for more.
Her recipe starts out like most pasta recipes do: boil the pasta until al dente. Then it gets fun *and* even tastier. Kidman’s pasta gets cooked again—in smoking hot oil—until it’s crunchy and slightly burned on the edges. The trick to getting each piece of pasta properly fried is dividing it into two separate pans so that you can spread it into single layers, instead of crowding the pasta in piles that will undoubtedly result in a few mushy spots. This method is reminiscent of Italian fried pasta dishes, like spaghetti all’assassina, which is popular in southern regions. Still, you could also do the pasta in batches to avoid dirtying two pans, if you like.
Once the frying is finished, the pasta and the cooking oil get transferred into a bowl to keep warm—freeing up a pan for the broccoli florets and slivered garlic to take their turn sauteing in a fresh drizzle of hot oil. When the broccoli turns bright green and the garlic is slightly browned, white wine, lemon juice, salt and pepper go in, infusing the pasta with bright, savory notes.
Finally, the pasta, broccoli and garlic are combined in a 13- by 9-inch baking dish (this recipe can feed a crowd) before being tossed in butter and balsamic vinegar for a creamy, umami finish. Kidman’s recipe actually uses a flameproof dish, as this step is done on the range over medium heat in order to create a rich, velvety texture.
The whole thing is then topped with pine nuts and a generous amount of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, then tossed one final time before serving with a dash of ground black pepper. And we like the idea of adding an extra pile of Parm to each plate—it makes for a mouthwatering presentation that tastes as good as it looks. While it’s amazing right off the heat, the pasta will absorb more flavors over time, which means you can cook it a day or two in advance, as well as enjoy the leftovers the next day. It won’t be as crunchy, but it will be just as delicious.
And if you like the idea of this recipe but don’t love the extra step of dealing with sizzling oil, you could always take inspiration from Kidman’s recipe and make a dish like Stanley Tucci’s orecchiette with broccoli rabe, which gets a little crispy (but with less oil to clean up). Even a recipe like our Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo Skillet Casserole might tick all your boxes—or you could put a spin on that recipe and lightly fry the pasta in olive oil before broiling.
However you satisfy your next hankering for pasta, serve it up with something bright and fresh, like our Cucumber, Tomato & Avocado Salad, and enjoy every bite.
