The recipe

2 servingsabout 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 180 g dried orecchiette
  • 300 g broccoli rabe, weighed after trimming
  • 3 small anchovy fillets in oil, about 12 g drained
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 20 g dry breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small pinch chilli flakes
  • Salt

Method

  1. Trim the broccoli rabe as described, wash thoroughly and cut longer tender stems into small pieces. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and salt lightly.
  2. Boil the greens for 7 to 10 minutes until the leaves and tender stems are soft. Lift out with a slotted spoon, drain and roughly chop. Keep the cooking water in the saucepan.
  3. Meanwhile, warm 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan. Toast the breadcrumbs over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring until golden, then transfer to a bowl.
  4. Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil, peeled and lightly crushed garlic, anchovies and chilli to the pan. Stir over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, mashing the anchovies. Remove the garlic, mix in the greens and set the pan aside.
  5. Return the vegetable water to the boil and cook the orecchiette al dente according to the packet. Reserve a cup of cooking water and drain the pasta.
  6. Combine the pasta, greens and an initial 2 tbsp cooking water in the frying pan over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until hot throughout. Add more water if needed. Check seasoning, divide between two plates and only then scatter over the breadcrumbs.

Trim the broccoli rabe and cook until tender

Use 300 grams of trimmed broccoli rabe, also called cime di rapa or rapini: tender leaves, small closed flower clusters and thin, tender stem sections. A whole bunch will therefore need to weigh more when purchased. Remove thick woody stems and damaged leaves, wash thoroughly and cut longer tender stems into bite-sized pieces. The vegetable has a distinctive, slightly bitter flavour. Ordinary broccoli can make a variation, but it does not produce the same dish.

This recipe uses dried orecchiette. To avoid forcing their longer cooking time to match the vegetables, cook the broccoli rabe first and lift it out. Then cook the pasta in the same water according to its packet. The leaves should be soft, with tender stems that are pleasant to bite through. Particularly coarse greens may take longer than the suggested seven to ten minutes.

Prepare the anchovy oil and crumbs separately

Mash the anchovy fillets in oil over low heat until they largely break down. They season the pasta without remaining as large pieces of fish. Add the garlic as a lightly crushed whole clove and remove it afterwards. Avoid darkening it, as its bitter taste would overwhelm the greens. Begin with a small pinch of chilli flakes and adjust the seasoning later if you want more heat.

Toast the breadcrumbs separately and keep them dry until serving. Added to the pan too early, they would absorb liquid and lose their crisp texture. Begin with only two tablespoons of cooking water when combining the pasta and vegetables, adding more as needed. Salt cautiously because the anchovies already bring seasoning. This dish contains fish. When cooking for guests, account for that ingredient even though it is barely visible after dissolving into the oil.