Penne with Red Pepper Sauce and Broccoli

This recipe, which I made last night, is from Didi Emmon's Veggie Planet and it is yummy. I added more cayenne pepper because I like everything spicy. I didn't have enough broccoli, which is sad, because broccoli is definitely the best part of this dish and one of my favorite vegetables.

Penne with Red Pepper Sauce and Broccoli
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1/4 whole almonds
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspon salt, or a bit more, to taste
fresh-ground black pepper to taste
1 or 2 pinches cayenne
4 cups broccoli florets
1 pound dried penne pasta
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup basil leaves cut into thin strips [I didn't have the basil, but I wish I did]
1) Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onions, and saute them for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they soften. Lower the heat a bit, and add the garlic and red peppers. COntinue to cook the vegetables, stirring often, for 15 minutes.
2) In a food processor or blender, chop the almonds fine. Add the pepper-onion mixture, the vinegar, and the remaining olive oil, and blend all to a puree. Add the salt, black pepper, and cayenne, and blend briefly to incorporate them.
3) Arrange a vegetable steamer over water in a saucepan. Bring the water to a boil, and add the broccoli. Cover the pan, and cook the broccoli over medium heat for 5 minutes or a bit longer, until it is as tender as you like. Keep it warm.
4) Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until it is just tender. Drain the pasta, and return it to the pot. Add the red pepper sauce, the Parmesan cheese, the broccoli, and the basil. Heat the contents over medium heat until the pasta is very hot, and add more salt and pepper to taste, if necessary. Serve the pasta immediately. Serves 4 to 6.