Orecchiette alle Cime di Rapa

Method

1. Trim the broccoli rabe: discard yellow leaves and the tough bottom 2–3 cm of the stems, and peel any thick stems with a vegetable peeler. Cut the leaves, buds and tender stems into 4–5 cm pieces and rinse them in cold water two or three times to remove grit. Slice the garlic thinly.

2. Bring 3 L of water to a rolling boil in a large pot over high heat (about 12 min). Add the coarse salt; the water should taste a little less salty than the sea.

   Add in this stepCoarse salt (for the pasta water) 30 g

   high heat

3. While the water heats, put a little of the olive oil and the breadcrumbs in a 26 cm frying pan and toast them over medium heat for 2 min, stirring, until golden and nutty. Tip them into a bowl straight away; they go from golden to burnt in seconds.

   Add in this stepExtra virgin olive oil 0.6 tbspDry breadcrumbs 20 g

   medium heat

4. Add the orecchiette to the boiling water, stir at once so they don't stick together, and cook for 7 min.

   Add in this stepDried orecchiette 200 g

5. Meanwhile, put most of the remaining olive oil in the same frying pan with the garlic, anchovies and chili and warm gently over low heat for 3 min. Press the anchovies with a wooden spoon until they melt into the oil; take the pan off the heat as soon as the garlic turns pale gold. Brown garlic tastes bitter.

   Add in this stepExtra virgin olive oil 1¾ tbspGarlic cloves, thinly sliced 2Anchovy fillets in oil 3Dried chili flakes (peperoncino) ½ tsp

   low heat

6. Add the broccoli rabe to the pasta pot and cook for 5 min more, until a fork slides easily into the stems and the pasta is tender with a slight bite in the centre (the total time should match the pasta package).

   Add in this stepBroccoli rabe (cime di rapa), untrimmed weight 500 g

7. Before draining, scoop out a mugful of cooking water. Drain the pasta and greens, tip them into the garlic pan, add the cooking water and toss vigorously over medium heat for 1 min 30 sec, until the oil and water turn into a glossy sauce that clings to the pasta. Serve with a drizzle of the last of the olive oil and the toasted breadcrumbs on top.

   Add in this stepPasta cooking water (reserved) 100 mlExtra virgin olive oil 0.6 tbsp

   medium heat