copyright 2009, The Washington Post Maccheroni With Sweetened Broccoli 4 servings I am uncomfortably in the George H.W. Bush camp when it comes to broccoli, and that is why this recipe title was intriguing. 'Sweetened' means a cup of seedless-green-grape puree goes into the pot. It's more fruity than sweet, and it made a world of difference. In fact, the recipe's other ingredients work together in the same quirky way: wine, pine nuts, a little salty cheese. This dish might not suit everyone's taste. Maccheroni is a medium, straight-sided tube pasta; don't feel like you have to search high and low for it. Tubetti will work just fine. Serve with warm garlic bread or a side of roasted tomatoes. Adapted from '250 True Italian Pasta Dishes,' by John Coletta with Nancy Ross Ryan (Robert Rose, 2009). Ingredients Salt 12 ounces dried maccheroni or tubetti pasta 1 cup seedless green grapes 1/2 red onion 1 medium (about 10 ounces) broccoli crown 3 tablespoons olive oil Freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup golden raisins 1 cup dry white Italian wine 2 tablespoons pine nuts 3/4 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese Directions Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add about a tablespoon of salt and the pasta; cook according to the package directions. Drain and reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Meanwhile, place the grapes in the bowl of a mini food processor or in a deep cup for an immersion (stick) blender; puree to yield a scant 1 cup. Cut the onion into small dice. Cut the broccoli into bite-size florets. Heat the oil in large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring, until softened, then add the raisins, broccoli and grape puree; increase the heat to medium and stir to coat. Cook for about 5 minutes; the broccoli should be bright-green and still somewhat crisp. Add the wine and cook for about 8 minutes or until the liquid in the pan has reduced by half. Toast the pine nuts in a small (dry) skillet over medium heat; stirring frequently just until golden brown (about 4 minutes). Increase the heat to high. Add the pine nuts and 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta cooking water. Add the cooked pasta and toss to combine, along with half of the cheese. Remove from the heat and divide among individual wide, shallow bowls. Sprinkle each portion with equal amounts of the remaining cheese. NUTRITION Per serving: 644 calories, 20 g protein, 87 g carbohydrates, 20 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 417 mg sodium, 6 g dietary fiber, 16 g sugar 