Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa
Ear pasta with broccoli rabe & garlic
Ingredients
- 400 g Orecchiette
- 600 g Broccoli rabe
- 4 Anchovy fillets
- 4 cloves Garlic
- ½ tsp Red pepper flakes
- 50 ml Extra-virgin olive oil
- 40 g Salt
- 30 g Breadcrumbs (optional)
Method
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it heavily.
- Trim the cime di rapa, separating florets, leaves, and tender stems.
- Slice the garlic thin.
- Toast the breadcrumbs in a dry skillet over medium heat until amber, then tip onto a plate. (optional)
- Drop the rapa into the boiling water and blanch for 3 minutes, then scoop it out.
- Drop the orecchiette into the same water and cook one minute shy of al dente (firm to the bite).
- While the pasta cooks, warm the oil with the garlic and red pepper flakes in a skillet over medium-low heat until pale gold.
- Add the anchovies and stir until they melt into the oil.
- Tip in the blanched rapa and toss to coat, breaking it up, and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Reserve a mugful of pasta water, then drain the orecchiette.
- Toss the orecchiette through the greens off heat for a minute, loosening with pasta water.
- Plate and shower with the toasted breadcrumbs if you made them.
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About Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa
Orecchiette con cime di rapa is a classic from Puglia in southern Italy: ear-shaped pasta studded with broccoli rabe, garlic, anchovy, and red pepper flakes, finished with crispy breadcrumbs instead of cheese. Cime di rapa (also called broccoli rabe) is a bitter green with a thin stem, small leaves, and broccoli-like florets; it needs to be blanched before eating to tame its intensity while keeping its texture. The anchovies (two or three fillets stirred into warm olive oil and garlic) melt into invisible umami rather than announcing their fishiness. Breadcrumbs toasted in a dry skillet until amber add the textural crunch that cheese would normally provide, plus a subtle nutty, almost savory flavor.
The dish comes together in twenty-five minutes and tastes like it comes from a grandmother's kitchen in a coastal village — substantial, deeply flavored, and built on the kind of restraint (no cream, no cheese, nothing fancy) that makes people stop mid-bite and ask what just happened. The bitter edge of the rapa plays off the salty-umami punch of anchovy and the spice of the peppers, while the starchy water from cooking the pasta emulsifies the oil and anchovy into a light sauce that clings to the pasta and greens. Orecchiette's cup shape catches the sauce and holds the pieces of rapa so they don't scatter. This is peasant food elevated by technique and respect: a template that's been refined over decades into something that doesn't need anything else on the plate.
Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa?
A serving has about 536 calories — 18.6g protein, 85.3g carbs, 14.1g fat, 7.1g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Orecchiette, Breadcrumbs. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for those ingredients to make it gluten-free.
Do I need every ingredient to make Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out breadcrumbs — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.