Chef Graziella
Agnolotti del Plin
The pinched pasta of Piedmont, each tiny parcel sealed with thumb and forefinger, filled with braised meat that has surrendered to hours of slow cooking. Butter or broth. Nothing more.
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Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa
Created by
The iconic pasta of Puglia, where bitter greens surrender to anchovy and chili, caught in the hollows of little ear-shaped pasta that the women of Bari have shaped by hand for generations.
Main Dishes
Italian, Pugliese
Weeknight
Comfort Food
20 min
Active Time
25 min cook•45 min total
Yield4 servings
Walk through the narrow streets of Bari Vecchia in the morning and you will see them: grandmothers seated on wooden chairs outside their doorways, working semolina dough with practiced hands, pressing each small piece against a wooden board with their thumbs to form the characteristic ear shape. They sell what they make, still dusted with flour, arranged on wicker trays. This is how it has been done for centuries.
Cime di rapa, which Americans call broccoli rabe, is bitter. This is not a flaw to correct but a virtue to embrace. The bitterness meets the salt of the anchovy, the heat of the chili, the richness of good olive oil. Each element exists in tension with the others. Nothing dominates. Everything balances.
The anchovy dissolves completely into the oil. If you think you dislike anchovies, you have probably never had them used correctly. They are not a topping here. They are a seasoning, invisible in the finished dish but essential to its depth. What you keep out is as significant as what you put in, but what you put in must earn its place.
Orecchiette con cime di rapa is the defining dish of Puglia, the heel of the Italian boot, where wheat fields meet the Adriatic. The pasta shape dates to the Norman occupation of Southern Italy in the 12th century, though similar forms existed earlier. The pairing with bitter greens reflects Pugliese poverty cooking: foraged vegetables, dried pasta that stored well, and preserved anchovies that added protein and flavor when meat was scarce.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
orecchiette
Quantity
1 pound
cime di rapa (broccoli rabe)
Quantity
1 pound
tough stems removed
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
6 tablespoons
anchovy fillets
Quantity
4
packed in oil, drained
garlic cloves
Quantity
2
sliced thin
red pepper flakes
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon, or to taste
kosher salt
Quantity
for pasta water and seasoning
Pecorino Romano (optional)
Quantity
for serving
freshly grated
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| orecchiette | 1 pound |
| cime di rapa (broccoli rabe)tough stems removed | 1 pound |
| extra virgin olive oil | 6 tablespoons |
| anchovy filletspacked in oil, drained | 4 |
| garlic clovessliced thin | 2 |
| red pepper flakes | 1/4 teaspoon, or to taste |
| kosher salt | for pasta water and seasoning |
| Pecorino Romano (optional)freshly grated | for serving |
Equipment Needed
- •Large pot for boiling pasta and greens
- •12-inch skillet, wide enough to toss the pasta
- •Wooden spoon
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the greens
Trim the cime di rapa, removing the thick, woody stems. Keep the tender stems, leaves, and florets. Wash thoroughly in several changes of cold water. Sand hides in the crevices. Cut or tear the greens into pieces roughly three inches long. Do not chop them fine. They should have presence on the plate.
- 2
Cook greens and pasta together
Bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil. Salt it generously. Add the cime di rapa and cook for 5 minutes. The greens should be tender but not collapsed. Add the orecchiette to the same pot with the greens. Cook together until the pasta is al dente, following the package time. The greens will cook further, becoming very tender. This is correct. Reserve one cup of the cooking water before draining.
Cooking the pasta and greens together is the traditional method. The starchy water infused with the greens becomes your sauce base. Do not cook them separately. - 3
Build the flavor base
While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and let it warm gently in the oil until fragrant and barely golden at the edges. This takes two minutes, perhaps three. The garlic must not brown. Add the anchovy fillets. Press them with a wooden spoon until they dissolve completely into the oil. Add the red pepper flakes. The oil is now infused with everything the pasta needs.
- 4
Combine and finish
Drain the pasta and greens together, but not too thoroughly. Some water clinging to them is useful. Add them directly to the skillet with the infused oil. Toss vigorously over medium heat for one minute, adding splashes of the reserved cooking water as needed. The pasta should glisten, the greens should be distributed throughout, and the sauce should coat everything without pooling. Taste for salt.
- 5
Serve immediately
Transfer to warm bowls. Drizzle with a thread of fresh olive oil if you wish. Pecorino is not traditional here, but some like it. Once the pasta is sauced, serve it promptly, inviting your guests and family to put off talking and start eating. Pasta waits for no one.
Chef Tips
- •Seek orecchiette from Puglia, made with semolina and water, with a rough surface that grips the sauce. The smooth factory versions shed the oil. If you find pasta made by the women of Bari Vecchia, buy as much as you can carry.
- •Two cloves of garlic for a pound of pasta. Not more. Slice them thin so they infuse the oil evenly. The unbalanced use of garlic is the single greatest cause of failure in would-be Italian cooking.
- •The anchovy fillets must dissolve completely. Press them against the pan until they melt into the oil. If you see chunks of anchovy in the finished dish, you have not cooked them long enough.
- •Cime di rapa varies in bitterness. Taste a stem raw before cooking. Very bitter greens benefit from blanching a minute longer. Less bitter specimens need less time.
Advance Preparation
- •The greens can be washed and trimmed several hours ahead, stored wrapped in damp towels in the refrigerator.
- •This dish does not hold well. The greens lose their color, the pasta absorbs the oil. Make it and eat it. There are no leftovers worth saving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 340g)
Calories
670 calories
Total Fat
26 g
Saturated Fat
5 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
20 g
Cholesterol
13 mg
Sodium
390 mg
Total Carbohydrates
89 g
Dietary Fiber
7 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
22 g
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