Orecchiette is a Puglian pasta shape that looks like teeny little ears or belly buttons, the craters of which are great for holding sauce. You often get orecchiette with cime de rapa and sausage in Puglia, which I love, but for the sake of accessibility in the UK, this is my supermarket sweep version.
Serves 2
1 small head of broccoli
1 banana shallot
½ tsp chilli flakes
2 cloves of garlic
6 anchovies
200g orecchiette
40g pecorino
1 lemon
salt and olive oil
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Break your broccoli down into small florets and stalk chunks that are equal in size.
Pop your broccoli into the boiling water and cook it for 4 minutes. Lift it straight out of the pan with a slotted spoon, and get it in a bowl of iced water. This will keep it green, and stop it from cooking.
Peel and finely slice your shallots and garlic.
Pour the oil from your anchovy tin into a saute pan, as well as another 2 tbsp of olive oil. Heat the pan over a medium heat, then add your shallots, and fry them for 5 minutes until they have softened.
Tip in your garlic, anchovies and chilli flakes, then cook for another 2 minutes, squishing down the anchovies into a paste as you go.
Bring your broccoli water pan back up to a boil, then tip in your orecchiette. Cook it until it is al dente.
Drain your broccoli from its iced water. Tip the broccoli into the pan, along with a good splash of water. Cook this down over a low heat for 5 minutes, squishing up the broccoli with your wooden spoon to break it down.
When your pasta is done, lift this into the pan with your slotted spoon. Add some pasta water, your pecorino and your lemon zest, then give it a good mix. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
Spoon your pasta into bowls, then top it with lemon juice, more pecorino and a little more chilli, if you’d like. Serve it up.