Shells and Broccoli

This is a really easy recipe that I found here.

1/3 cup pignoli (pine) nuts
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese (I used fresh Parmesan Reggiano)
1 pound small shells (I used medium)
4 cups broccoli florets

Heat large pot of water to boiling for pasta. Toast pine nuts at 350 degrees F in oven until golden (6 to 8 minutes) or brown them in a skillet. Watch them carefully, or they will burn. Transfer to large serving bowl. Stir in oil and Parmesan.

Cook pasta until tender but firm to the bite. Place broccoli in colander and pour pasta and water over the broccoli. (The hot water will blanch the broccoli.)

Add pasta and broccoli to the ingredients in bowl. Toss to combine. Serve immediately.

NOTES:
I bought a 2 oz package of pine nuts. This was slightly more than 1/3 cup.
I toasted the pine nuts in a skillet over a medium flame. It was easy to see when they were done.
The dish was pretty bland as cooked. I added a little salt and red pepper flakes which improved it somewhat, but I think it needs garlic, more oil and more Parmesan cheese.
This method worked well to cook the broccoli.

I probably will look for another recipe when I want to repeat this dish. This one (Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp and Broccoli) looks promising. Mark Bittman also has some nice ideas.