Friday, May 25, 2007

Orecchiette with Broccoli and Anchovies


Here's a famous Italian recipe, that if you haven't tried before, you should definately have a go at making. There's hardly any ingredients in it, but it has maximum flavour. Who knew that Broccoli could be so tasty! This is such a quick and easy recipe, it's perfect for midweek dinners. One word of advice though, don't use cheap and nasty Orecchiette. Use good quality, authentic Egg Pasta that you get from Italian Deli's and Supermarkets like Piedemontes. This will make all the difference to your meal.

Ingredients:

400g orecchiette
1 head broccoli, broken into small florets
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 Knob of Butter
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 - 8 large anchovy fillets, chopped
Teaspoon of Dried Chilli Flakes
freshly ground black pepper
100g freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese
Method:
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the orecchiette until al dente.
About 3 minutes before the pasta is cooked, place the Broccoli in with the pasta, it wont take long to cook at all.
While the pasta and Broccoli is cooking, prepare the Broccoli and Anchovy sauce.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan with the anchovies, mashing them with the back of a spoon.
Add your chilli and garlic and lightly fry for a few minutes until fragrant.
Add the drained Broccoli, Pasta and pepper and stir to mix and heat through.
Add the Cheese and Butter to the pasta and mix thoroughly into the hot pasta and serve immediately.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The picture on top says the pasta is made from semolina - flour not egg.

Adski said...

Hey Anon,
You may have a point there.
However, I have made pasta before which has both Semolina Flour and Egg in it. I'll have to make sure I check my ingredients more carefully before I post.
Cheers.

Anonymous said...

I'm a huge fan of this recipe it fits all my criteria for cooking: Pescetarian, minimal ingredients, super easy and delicious!
Thanks for posting it.
E.