Blanch the almonds, rinse then cover with water and allow to soak for at least 3 hours or overnight. It is very important that they be very soft so that they completely breakdown and not leave graininess in your sauce. Alternatively if you have a very powerful blender you may be able to skip the soaking step.
Once the almonds have been blanched and softened place them in the blender with the water, process until completely broken down. Next add all the remaining ingredients except the oil, and blend until completely combined.
Heat the oil in a large pan and then carefully pour in the sauce, cook over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens to the same consistency as a cream sauce. Make sure to taste for salt and adjust if necessary. (TIP: as your sauce is cooking you can boil the pasta and blanch the broccoli if you're using it. Then once they are cooked and the sauce has thickened you can combine and serve straightaway.
Notes
* Watch our video to see the quickest and easiest way to blanch almonds http://bit.ly/2yqRqDS** I use this sauce to make two big main servings using 8.8oz or 250g of dry pasta. It's plenty to completely coat the pasta and leave a creaminess too. For the broccoli I use a very small head but you can use as much or as little as you'd like.