Orecchiette with Sprouting Broccoli

Name: Orecchiette with Sprouting Broccoli
Yield: Serve 4 to 6 unless otherwise stated.
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: ¼ cup golden or dark raisins, soaked in tepid water to plump up; 2 lb sprouting broccoli or broccoli rabe, broken into florets; 4 oz salted anchovies or 2 oz canned anchovy fillets, drained; 1½ lb orecchiette (little ears); ⅓ cup pine nuts; ¾ cup freshly grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese (optional); Salt and freshly ground pepper; 2 lb fresh tomatoes or 1½ lb canned peeled tomatoes; Small piece of fresh hot red chili pepper, chopped; 2 cloves of garlic; ½ cup olive oil; ¼ onion, minced

Preparation info

Serve
4 to 6
unless otherwise stated.

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Two Fat Ladies Obsessions

By Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright

Published 1999

About

This is a famous Sicilian dish, which I learnt to love when we lived there.

Ingredients

1½ lb orecchiette (little ears)
¾ cup freshly grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese (optional)

Europe
Italy
Fish course
Sauce
Pescatarian
Sicily
Pasta
Mediterranean

Method

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add salt, then the broccoli. Cook for about 3 minutes, boiling briskly. Remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon and keep on one side. Keep the pan of water to cook the pasta later.

If using salted anchovies, soak them in cold water for about 20 minutes before using. Chop the anchovies, whether salted or canned.

If you are using fresh t