Orecchiette con Rape e Cavolfiore

Name: Orecchiette con Rape e Cavolfiore
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients: 1 small head white or green cauliflower; 2 tablespoons fine sea salt; 1 pound cima di rape or dandelion greens, beet greens, or red chard; 2 ounces anchovies, preserved under salt; 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon fennel seeds; 1 small, dried red chile pepper, crushed, or 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes; 3 fat cloves garlic, peeled, crushed, and finely minced; 3 ounces dried black olives, stones removed (optional); 12 ounces orecchiette; Coarse sea salt for the pasta water; 1 cup just-grated pecorino; 1 cup just-made fine bread crumbs, sautéed in 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

January 24, 2012

Orecchiette—little ears—are a pasta made from grano duro, or semolina, and served often with a rough sauce of cima di rape, the bitter leaves of a variety of Italian turnip not always available in America. Do not mistake them for young broccoli, as some do. Should the real thing not be at hand, it is a better business to substitute dandelion or beet or turnip greens or red chard or even to make the sauce only with cauliflower, especially the grassy-green, purply-edged Roman variety.

Recipe information

Yield
serves 4

Ingredients

1 small head white or green cauliflower

2 tablespoons fine sea salt

1 pound cima di rape or dandelion greens, beet greens, or red chard

2 ounces anchovies, preserved under salt

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1 small, dried red chile pepper, crushed, or 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes

3 fat cloves garlic, peeled, crushed, and finely minced

3 ounces dried black olives, stones removed (optional)

12 ounces orecchiette

Coarse sea salt for the pasta water

1 cup just-grated pecorino

1 cup just-made fine bread crumbs, sautéed in 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

Step 1
Trim the cauliflower of its leaves and place it, whole, in a pot, covering it with cold water, adding 1 tablespoon of the fine sea salt and poaching it until tender. Drain the cauliflower and set it aside. Wash and trim the rape and place them in a pot, covering them with cold water, adding the remaining tablespoon of salt and poaching them for 3 minutes. Drain the rape very well, transferring them to absorbent paper towels. When the rape are cooled a bit, squeeze each piece, extracting as much water as you can before chopping them coarsely and placing them in a bowl. Add the poached cauliflower, breaking it up and blending it lightly with the rape.
Step 2
Rinse the anchovies and remove their heads and bones. Dry them on paper towels and crush lightly with a fork.
Step 3
In a sauté pan over a medium flame, warm the olive oil, scenting it with the fennel, crushed chile, and garlic, taking care not to color the garlic. Add the anchovies and the olives, if you wish to use them, stirring and blending the components. Add this hot mixture to the bowl with the rape and the cauliflower, smashing the whole against the sides of the bowl, permitting the vegetables to inhale the hot, spicy bath.
Step 4
Cook the orecchiette in abundant, sea-salted water until al dente, draining the pasta but leaving it somewhat wet. Reserve 1/2 cup or so of its cooking liquids. Transfer the pasta to a large, shallow, warmed bowl. Add a few tablespoons of the cooking liquids and the pecorino to the sauce, thinning it only slightly. Add a few drops more of the cooking liquids only if the sauce is still extremely thick. Add the sauce to the pasta, tossing it and coating each little ear.
Step 5
Dust the pasta with the browned bread crumbs and present the dish with a rough but honorable red wine.

A Taste of Southern Italy

TagsPasta Orecchiette Italian European Cauliflower Vegetable Dandelion Greens Leafy Greens Swiss Chard Main Dinner Quick Easy Weeknight Meals Poach Cookbooks

Recipe information

Ingredients

Preparation

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Recipe notes