Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa

Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa: Step by Step

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1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the greens for 4 minutes, then lift them out with tongs, keeping the water on the boil.

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2. Squeeze the greens gently and chop them roughly.

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3. Cook the orecchiette in the same water until al dente — it now tastes of the greens.

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4. Meanwhile warm the olive oil with the sliced garlic and chilli flakes in a wide pan over medium-low heat for 4 minutes until pale gold.

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5. Add the anchovies and press them with a wooden spoon until they dissolve completely into the oil, about 60 seconds.

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6. Add the chopped greens and toss for 3 minutes so they take up the oil.

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7. Add the drained pasta with a ladleful of its water and toss hard for a minute until everything is coated and glossy.

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8. Serve scattered with toasted breadcrumbs, and Pecorino if you want it.

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Related guide: Ingredient substitutions.

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Keep an Eye on These

1. Do not rinse the greens after blanching; the residual water helps the sauce come together.
2. Broccolini or purple sprouting broccoli both work if cime di rapa is unavailable.
3. Breadcrumbs rather than cheese is the Puglian way, and the crunch earns its place.

Changing the Recipe

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

The Short Version

Cooking the greens in the pasta water does two jobs: it tames their bitterness and it leaves the water tasting of them, so the pasta absorbs that flavour as it cooks. The anchovies are melted into the oil rather than chopped through, which distributes their savour without any fishiness.

What to Serve It With

A Primitivo or a chilled Verdeca · Serve alone as a first course · Follow with grilled fish

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Creamy Parmesan Polenta, Cauliflower Risotto, Ciabatta.

Keeping Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa

Refrigerate 2 days. Reheat in a pan with olive oil and a splash of water.

Nutrition per Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: optional ingredients are counted; sodium is not given, because the salt for the cooking water is in the ingredient list but most of it is poured away with the water, so no figure from the list would be honest. How the figures are worked out.

Dairy-free when made without the pecorino.

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