Name: Orecchiette e Broccoli Rape (Orecchiette Pasta and Tender Leaves of Broccoli Rabe)
Yield: Serves 4 as a first course, 2 or 3 as a main course
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: At least 4 quarts water; 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt; 2 to 3 ounces ricotta salata cheese; 3 to 4 tablespoons best-quality extra-virgin olive oil; 6 anchovy fillets under oil, drained and minced; or 2 to 3 anchovies under salt, rinsed and minced; 1 to 1½ pounds broccoli rabe; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 pound orecchiette; ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1 fresh hot red pepper, minced; Salt; 3 large garlic cloves, minced

Preparation info

Serves
4
as a first course

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

In Nonna's Kitchen

By Carol Field

Published 1997

About

This dish in the repertoire of every grandmother in Apulia. Maria Andriani’s may be the tastiest one I have eaten. Maria makes her own orecchiette pasta, which gets its name from the ear it resembles, by combining equal amounts of wheat and durum flours with warm water and salt, but it isn’t necessary to follow suit. Dried orecchiette are now available from many pasta makers. If you can’t find broccoli rabe, substitute dandelion greens, if you like their