Spicy broccoli pasta
If you follow along for a while you know one of my favorite regions in Italy is Puglia, alongside Sicily and Tuscany (Don’t ask me to choose a favorite cause I can’t). What makes Puglia so special is the food, the people and the overall style, especially of the houses, the so called trulli. Everything’s white and breezy, truly summery and for me, it feels like home. I’m obsessed with the typical pasta shape; the orrecchiette, which translates to ‘little ears’ because of their distinct shape. This shape holds sauce so well, every mouthful feels like a hug. Everytime I go to Puglia I eat ‘orrecchiette alle cime di rapa’ which is a vegetable called broccoli rabe. Unfortunately where I live it’s very hard to find so the next best thing is broccoli. And it still tastes amazing! Today i’m showing you how to make the perfect broccoli pasta like they to in Puglia.
Simplicity is key here. Olive oil, garlic, chili, broccoli, salt and pepper are the only ingredients you need. And allright… maybe a little cheese at the end for the finishing touch. ;)
What I see most of the time is dry looking pasta, to prevent that I’m blending half the sauce mixture into a pesto and I ALWAYS add a few tablespoons of pasta water to any sauce to thin it out so every pasta gets coated well. Also don’t be shy of olive oil, if you think you’re using too much, you’re wrong you actually need to add another splash!
I plated these orrecchiette in one of my favorite ceramics from taste of Puglia I also used their lemon orrecchiette pasta for this, all can be found on their website, truly amazing! They import everything straight out of Puglia, so you know you get amazing quality!
Time to make this dish.
Recipe
serves 4 people
Ingredients
2 large heads or broccoli
4 large garlic cloves
1 or 2 whole chillies, add only one and remove the seeds if you don’t like it spicy
100 ml of olive oil
400-500 gr of orrecchiette pasta
salt and pepper to taste
chopped flat leaf parsley to serve
How to
Start by heating the olive oil in a frying pan over low heat.
Mince the garlic and chillies, add to the pan.
Fry slowly for a few minutes, but don’t let the garlic turn brown. Remove from the heat if neccessary.
Meanwhile chop the broccoli into small chunks, they don’t need to be regular, just make sure they are bite size pieces.
Add the chopped broccoli to the pan and fry for a few more minutes, stirring frequently.
Place a pot of salted water over high heat and let it come to a boil. When the water start boiling cook the pasta al dente, reserve some of the pasta water to add to the sauce later on.
Add a few splashed of water to the broccoli and cover with a lid. Leave to simmer until the broccoli is very soft and almost falls apart.
Place half of the broccoli mixture in a blender and blend until pesto-like, it doesn’t have to be completely smooth. You might need to add a little water or olive oil to help it blend.
Add the broccoli-pesto back into the pan and stir.
Add the cooked pasta and if neccessary some more pasta water to thin the sauce out.
Place over low heat and let it heat through.
Serve with chopped parsley and optional vegan parmesan on top.
Buon apetito!
SHARING IS CARING!
Did you make this? Tag me @lunatrapani on instagram. Love to see your creations.
