Orecchiette Pasta with Broccoli and Chilli
A perfect balance of spice and freshness
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Servings: 6
Ingredients
Orecchiette Pasta:
- 500 grams orecchiette pasta
- Salt for boiling pasta
- 400 grams tender stem broccoli trimmed
Sauce:
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 shallots finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 6 anchovy fillets finely chopped
- 1 red chilli peppers finely chopped (adjust to your preferred spice level)
Pangrattato:
- 100 grams breadcrumbs
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish:
- 50 grams pine nuts toasted
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
- Fresh black pepper
Instructions
Start by preparing the Pangrattato:
- In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and lemon zest, and toast them until they turn golden brown and crispy. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
Orecchiette pasta:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the orecchiette pasta according to the package instructions until it's al dente. About 2 minutes before the pasta is done, add the tender stem broccoli to the boiling water. This will blanch the broccoli. Drain the pasta and broccoli, reserving a cup of pasta cooking water.
- In a large skillet, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped shallots and cook until they become translucent about 2-3 minutes.
Sauce:
- Add the minced garlic, chopped anchovies, and chopped red chilli peppers to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until the anchovies melt into the mixture and everything is well combined.
- Toss the cooked orecchiette pasta and blanched tender stem broccoli into the skillet with olive oil, shallot, garlic, anchovy, and chilli mixture. Stir to coat the pasta and broccoli evenly. If the mixture seems too dry, you can add a bit of the reserved pasta cooking water to create a silky sauce.
Garnish:
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat until they are lightly golden. Be careful not to burn them. Set them aside for garnish.
Serve:
- Serve the orecchiette pasta and tenderstem broccoli in individual plates or bowls. Top each serving with the lemon zest pangrattato, toasted pine nuts, and a generous sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
