orecchiette alla cima di rapa
orecchiette with friarielli
Getting hold of the fresh ingredients for this classic from Puglia - specifically the ‘cima di rapa’ (‘broccoli rabe’ / ‘raab’ / ‘turnip tops’) in the UK is practically impossible, so other than growing the greens yourself your only real option is to go down the store-cupboard route. You’ll need to find a good delicatessen who stocks either jar or frozen ‘cima di rapa’ or their slightly more tender cousin, friarielli.
Friarielli , even frozen or in a jar, are much closer to what you’ll find in Puglia in this recipe, than if you were to use fresh tenderstem broccoli. Of course, if tenderstem are your only option or if you prefer to not eat out of a jar, use those!
WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO
(scroll down for the full method)
drain and chop the friarielli
make the pangrattato
chop and cook the garlic and anchovies
combine with the friarielli
boil and cook the pasta
combine the pasta and other ingredients
orecchiette with friarielli
INGREDIENTS
FOR FOUR PEOPLE
200g pangrattato 4 anchovy fillets
1 large garlic clove
600g jar friarielli ( D’Amico)
1 tblspn butter
handful of basil leaves
PASTA
500g fresh orecchiette (Pastificio Martimucci)
MANTECATURA (?)
light to moderate
METHOD
For the ‘store cupboard’ version, start by draining the friarielli (mine were from D’Amico) and chopping them into 30mm lengths. For the panrattato, old ciabatta-type bread is best; if you only have fresh then give it 20 min in the oven to crisp up a bit, then pulse in a blender until you have chunky but uniform crumbs. I like to add half a small fresh cayenne chilli and an anchovy fillet while it’s blending, plus either oil from the anchovies or EVO - for 200g bread, at least 3 or 4 tablespoons of oil. Don’t go too greasy, but make sure you give your pangrattato enough flavour! Watch the video of me making pangrattato here.
Cook the pangrattato in a non-stick pan gently and slowly. It’s done when you have a golden brown or very slightly nutty flavour - DON’T overdo it! Chop up a garlic clove and 2-3 anchovy fillets and fry in EVO until the anchovies begin to ‘melt’ into the sauce.
Add the friarielli and combine for a few minutes. Set aside but keep them warm as you cook the orecchiette. Add them when they’re just past al dente to the friarielli with some cooking water, and mix and combine the toppings and pasta. Add a few handfuls of ricotta salata or pecorino, and plate each portion with the pangrattato sprinkled on the top. More chilli or tiny amounts of chopped anchovies or cayenne pepper to taste.
NUTRITION per serving
KCAL: we're working on it!
Fat (g): TBC
Sat Fat (g): TBC
Carb (g): TBC
Sug (g): TBC
Fibre(g): TBC
Prot (g): TBC
Salt (g): TBC
Nutritional information is provided as an indication only of approximate values for the recipe on this page. You should make your own calculations if you have specific dietry requirements or are required to follow a strict calorie-controlled diet.
