Lemony Orecchiette with Sesame Pangrattato

Serves 4

Time: 30 minutes

If you ask me what my last supper would include, this dish would absolutely make the list. It features a combination of some of my favorite ingredients: lemon, Parmesan, garlic, and butter. I’ve been making this dish for weeknight dinners for over 20 years, especially on Mondays as it’s a good way to use up any sesame bagels or baguettes left over from the weekend.

For the pangrattato

Sesame: Global Recipes + Stories of an Ancient Seed Rachel Simons

• 1 tablespoon salted butter

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 baguette or 2 bagels, torn into pea-size pieces

• Zest of 1 large lemon

• 1 tablespoon lightly toasted sesame seeds

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the pasta

• 8 ounces orecchiette or any other pasta shape

• 1 pound broccoli

• 2 tablespoons salted butter

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water

• 1 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

• Juice of 1 large lemon

• 1 small jalapeño, thinly sliced (optional)

• Freshly ground pepper

• Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the Pangrattato: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat until it starts to bubble. Reduce the heat to low and add the olive oil (this stops the butter from burning). Add the bread and stir until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the lemon zest, sesame seeds, and salt and stir until well combined. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

2. Make the pasta: Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt and cook the pasta until al dente according to package instructions.

3. While the water comes to a boil, remove the hard woody end of the broccoli stem and discard. Thinly slice the rest of the stem into 1⁄4-inch discs. Remove the florets from the stem, and cut them into small pieces so that they cook evenly with the discs.

4. While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large skillet over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and add the broccoli, garlic, and salt. Cook until the broccoli has started to char slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water, then cover the skillet with a lid and steam the broccoli until tender, about 3 minutes.

5. When the pasta is ready, reserve 1⁄4 cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the skillet with the broccoli and toss well to combine.

6. Add the Parmesan, lemon juice, jalapeño (if using), and the reserved pasta water. Stir to combine.

7. Divide the pasta evenly among four bowls and finish with a heaping spoon of the pangrattato, a grind of pepper, a drizzle of the olive oil, and more Parmesan, if desired.

“Reprinted with permission from Sesame: Global Recipes + Stories of an Ancient Seed. Text copyright © 2025 by Rachel Simons. Photographs copyright © 2025 by Alan Benson. Illustrations copyright © 2025 by Evelina Edens. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.”

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