Orecchiette with “Cime di Rapa” is one of the most original and famous recipes from Puglia, the Heel of Italy.
Orecchiette is a handmade shape of pasta typical in Puglia, which my mother makes every Sunday for our enjoyment.
The perfect combinations with this shape of pasta are:
- fresh cime di rapa that can be be boiled with the orecchiette or stewed and then add to them or
- a rich tomato and meat sauce.
Here we present a variation to the original recipe using broccoli which is easier to find and takes very little effort to prepare.
Ingredients:
- 400g of orecchiette
- 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 spicy chilly
- 500g of broccoli
- 100g of fresh breadcrumbs
- salt and pepper
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- Trim the end of the broccoli and then cut off florets in bite-size pieces. Then chop the stalks. Boil in plenty of water for 8 minutes.
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- In a frying pan, toast the breadcrumbs with one spoon of olive oil until crunchy and gold.
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- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. When the water reaches boiling point add two teaspoons of salt and drop in the pasta. Cook for 12 minutes, stirring often.
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- Reserve some pasta cooking water for later use and then drain.
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- In a large skillet heat the remaining olive oil.
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- When the oil is hot, add anchovies, chilly and garlic. Stir fry for a couple of minutes until the anchovies are melted and the garlic is golden.
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- Add to the skillet the cooked orecchiette and broccoli and toss to coat, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Add some of the reserved pasta water if necessary to moisten.
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- Finally, serve in a plate and sprinkle with breadcrumbs to finish the dish.
Serve and Enjoy!
If you want to make it even easier, try our Cime di Rapa Sauce which is prepared following the original recipe as my mother does 😉
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