Pasta with white beans and broccoli

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 large head of broccoli
• 2 cans of white beans, approx. 400g each, drained weight approx. 250g
• 1 ½ vegetable onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 jalapeño(s) or other chili peppers
• 1 organic lemon(s)
• 1 pack smoked tofu, approx. 200g
• 1 shot of white wine
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 500 g pasta, e.g. Fusili Bucati Corti
• 1 pack of pine nuts, approx. 100g
• 100 ml vegetable stock
• 100 g Parmesan, grated
• some olive oil
• lots of margarine
• some sunflower oil
• some peanut oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• e.g. cayenne pepper
• n. B. Paprika powder, sweet

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

vegetarian

Preparation is very important here. You need to prepare it quickly later, so have everything you need ready. This way, nothing can go wrong. Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces and rinse it thoroughly in a colander. Set aside to drain. Rinse the white beans thoroughly in a colander and set aside to drain. Cut the smoked tofu, onions, and washed jalapeños into small cubes and set aside in separate bowls. Peel the garlic cloves and set aside using a garlic press. Wash the lemon, halve it, and squeeze the juice from one half. Set aside the juice and zest of the other half. Set aside the pine nuts in a bowl. Grate the Parmesan cheese or set aside some already grated Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Also set aside the vegetable stock, oils, margarine, spices, white wine, pasta, and tomato paste. Bring the water for the pasta to a boil. In a large pan, gently sauté the onions in the olive oil over medium heat. In a separate small pan, gently fry the smoked tofu in plenty of margarine over medium heat. Salt the onions and tofu right at the start. Stir the onions and tofu gently while frying. When the onions are translucent and soft after about 10 to 15 minutes, deglaze with the white wine and lemon juice and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the alcohol has completely evaporated. Continue stirring the tofu and frying. Add the tomato paste, jalapeños, a little cayenne pepper, and a little more paprika to the onions, and press the garlic directly into the pan. Stir everything over high heat for about 3-5 minutes. Add the pasta to the boiling water and the pine nuts to the small pan with the tofu. Sprinkle the tofu and pine nuts with a pinch of sugar. Add the drained beans to the large pan with the onions and stir. Fry for another 3-5 minutes. Once the beans have softened a little and the rest of the pan isn’t too brown, deglaze with a little vegetable stock. Continue stirring the tofu and pine nuts. Check the pasta is cooked through. After deglazed, cover the bean pan, stir occasionally, and let it simmer. You may need to add a little more vegetable stock. In another deep pan (ideally a wok or stir-fry pan), heat a little sunflower oil and a little peanut oil in a 1:1 ratio over the highest heat. Add the broccoli to the very hot pan and immediately add salt. The broccoli needs to be stirred frequently to prevent it from burning. After about 5-10 minutes, the broccoli and beans should be done at the same time. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water. Add it to the beans in the pan and pour a little of the cooking water into the bean pan. Briefly pass the tofu and pine nuts through a sieve and strain out the margarine. Add to the pasta and beans. Add the grated Parmesan and half of the lemon zest and mix well. Season to taste with pepper and the remaining lemon zest. Serve in a deep dish. Serve with the bean pasta and arrange the fried broccoli on top. Sprinkle with a little more Parmesan, if desired.