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The tapenade can also be served as a dip for crudités or a zesty sauce for grilled fish. For best results, choose olives with distinctive flavors, such as those suggested below.

Pappardelle are long, flat, wide noodles; fettuccine or linguine work just as well. We recommend chopping the peas slightly before cooking them; otherwise, they have a tendency to roll off the pasta when you eat.

Broccoli, a cruciferous vegetable, contains significant amounts of vitamins A and C, as well as calcium, iron, and riboflavin.

Similar greens—such as yow choy, also known as choy sum (which looks almost identical to bok choy but bears small yellow flowers), broccolini, or even regular broccoli—will work well in this dish if you can’t find Chinese broccoli. You can buy wide rice noodles at Asian grocery stores, or use the narrow rice noodles (often labeled “pad thai noodles”) that many supermarkets carry.

If you like, grate some Parmesan cheese over the tossed pasta just before serving, or offer grated cheese on the side.

You can use six 2-cup gratin dishes to make individual servings. The baking time will be a bit shorter; cook until bubbling and golden.

If you have trouble finding caciocavallo cheese, you can substitute grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.