Orecchiette with broccoli

Orecchiette with broccoli is a typical dish from Southern Italy, particularly from Apulian cuisine, which combines homemade pasta with seasonal vegetables. Here is how to prepare them.

Ingredients

• 400 g of fresh orecchiette
• 1 kg of broccoli
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Red chili pepper (to taste)
• 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Grated pecorino or salted ricotta (optional)

Preparation

1. Clean the broccoli, separating the florets from the stem. Blanch the florets in plenty of salted water for about 5 minutes; they should remain quite al dente. Drain them and save the cooking water.
2. In a large pan, sauté the crushed garlic and chili pepper in extra virgin olive oil until they are lightly golden. You can remove the garlic cloves if you prefer a more delicate flavor.
3. Add the broccoli to the pan and sauté everything for a few minutes, gently crushing the florets to flavor the sauce.
4. Meanwhile, bring the broccoli’s cooking water back to a boil and cook the orecchiette according to the package instructions or until al dente.
5. Drain the orecchiette and transfer them to the pan with the broccoli, sautéing them together for a minute to blend the flavors.
6. If desired, you can sprinkle the orecchiette with grated pecorino or salted ricotta before serving.

A curiosity: the term “orecchiette” comes from the shape of the pasta which resembles little ears. In Puglia, orecchiette are traditionally made by hand, kneading the dough with durum wheat semolina and water, then shaping it with a knife and thumb.