The canonical dish of Puglia, dating to at least the 16th century. Orecchiette (ear-shaped pasta) and cime di rapa (broccoli rabe) are cooked together in the same salted water: the starch from the pasta creates a natural silky emulsion in the sauce. Anchovies dissolve into olive oil, garlic, and chilli to make the savoury dressing. No cheese; instead, mollica fritta (fried breadcrumbs) provide texture. This is cucina povera at its most elegant.
Ingredients
Ingredients
600 g broccoli rabe (cime di rapa)
350 g orecchiette pasta
4 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
6 anchovy fillets in oil
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
salt
Mollica Fritta
60 g stale bread, for breadcrumbs
1 tbsp olive oil, for frying breadcrumbs
Method
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to boil. Trim the tough lower stems from the cime di rapa and roughly chop the rest.
Make the mollica fritta: pulse the stale bread in a food processor to coarse crumbs. Fry in 1 tbsp olive oil in a small pan over medium heat, stirring often, until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
Cook the cime di rapa in the boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Add the orecchiette to the same pot and cook together until the pasta is al dente according to packet instructions.
Meanwhile, heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the anchovy fillets and press with a wooden spoon until they completely dissolve into the oil. Add the chilli flakes and cook 30 seconds.
Drain the pasta and greens together, reserving 120ml of the pasta cooking water. Add everything to the pan with the anchovy oil.
Toss vigorously over medium heat, adding the reserved pasta water a splash at a time to create a light, glossy emulsion. The sauce should cling to the pasta.
Serve immediately, topped generously with the mollica fritta. No cheese.
Notes
This dish uses no cheese: mollica fritta (fried breadcrumbs) is the traditional Puglian substitute, reflecting the cucina povera origins of the dish. Adding Parmesan is considered a heresy in Bari.
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