SMOTHERED PASTA WITH BROCOLLI

Last night was cold and damp and I wanted pasta. I also had to have green veggies. So I recalled a hearty side dish I saw in Gourmet recently and tweaked it to do my bidding. The result was a luxurious garlicky green pasta dish that of course I forgot to photograph.

1 nice big brocolli bunch (1/4 to half pound)
1 lb whole wheat noodles (like the no yolks kind, but wh wheat)
as much garlic as you deem appropriate
same with some shallots
one cup heavy cream
olive oil
milk to adjust
one cup to one cup and a half freshly shredded parmasean

Set a large port of water to boil
Peel and chop the broccoli in very tiny pieces, (the end result is a chunky sauce not whole pieces)
Steam sautee until very tender
Add cream, garlic, shallots and oil and continue to sautee over low med heat
(at this point if you have an immersion blender you can give the pan a few shots from that, not too many)
and gradually add the cheese until it gets nice and satiny
meanwhile cook your wheat pasta, reserving a 1/4 cup or less of the water after you drain it
Add pasta to sauce and serve with lots of freshly cracked black pepper and red pepper flakes. If you want the sauce to be the star don't use all the pasta. I used the whole pound so my sauce was not smothering everything. Just coating.
Bon Appetit!