Broccoli and pasta is a typical dish from Southern Italy, especially from Puglia region. They have a local pasta shape called orecchiette that are usually prepared with broccoli and it is one of the most typical dishes from that region.
A couple of weeks ago a friend of us brought us some handmade orecchiette from Puglia, and today I prepared them with broccoli…yummy and tasty… easy…and quick to prepare. Such a lot of advantages for a recipe, don’t you agree? We came back home hungry and in little time the broccoli and pasta bowl was already on the table.
Of course you don’t need to have handmade pasta to prepare it (even if it is indeed good ;-)). There are a lot of industrialized ones you can find at your market that will serve perfectly to this recipe. The pasta you see on these photos are the handmade one our friend brought us. It has a particular shape done with the fingertips. The women from Puglia prepare the pasta dough, divide it into smaller pieces and form long stripes. They cut into small single pieces and enlarge each orecchietta using their fingertips as you can see in this quick video:
It is a very simple recipe, a few ingredients that I assure you will delight your taste. If you prefer, use grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese instead of pecorino for a more delicate taste.
- 160 g of orecchiete
- 1 broccoli (use only the florets)
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 anchovy fillets
- salt
- pepper
- grated Parmesan cheese
- extra virgin olive oil
- Put abundant water in a pan to boil. Salt it.
- In the meanwhile wash and cut the broccoli florets.
- Mince the garlic.
- When the water boils, put the florets and the pasta to cook together.
- In another pan, add a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and add the anchovy fillets.
- Mash them with a wood spoon and add the garlic. Mix and cook for a couple of minutes but do not let the garlic burn.
- When the pasta is ready (check cooking time on package), drain it through a colander together with the broccoli florets and transfer it all to the pan with garlic and oil.
- Turn on the gas and mix it all well, adding the grated Parmesan cheese.
- Serve immediately!
- Buon appetito!
