Puglia · Bari
Orecchiette con le cime di rapa
Orecchiette with turnip tops
Ear-shaped pasta cooked together with bitter turnip greens and dressed with garlic, chilli and olive oil — with anchovy if you like, and never cheese.
- Course
- Primo piattoPasta & rice
- Serves
- 4
- Hands-on
- 24 min
- Cooking
- 22 min
La provenienza
Where this recipe comes from
In the old town of Bari, women still make orecchiette by hand on tables in the street. The pasta and the cime di rapa cook in the same pot, so the greens flavour the pasta and the pasta catches every bit of the dressing.
There is no official recipe. Apulian sources agree on the essentials: garlic, chilli and olive oil, often with anchovies melted in, and toasted breadcrumbs on top instead of cheese.
- Provenance
- Documented traditionA regional tradition documented in cookbooks and local practice, with no single official text.
- Defined by
- Apulian tradition
- Reference
- Bari and the Murgia
Ingredienti
Ingredients
Equipment
- Large pot (at least 6 l)
- Frying pan, wide enough to toss the pasta
- Small pan for the breadcrumbs
- Colander
Preparazione
Method
About 35 minutes. The only thing to get right is the timing: the greens and the orecchiette must finish cooking together in the same pot.
- 24 minhands-on
- 22 mincooking
Preparation
-
Hands-on 15 min
Keep the florets, the tender leaves and the thinner stems; discard the tough stalks and large outer leaves. From 1 kg you will keep roughly half. Wash them in plenty of cold water.
Tip Peel any stems thicker than a pencil, or they stay stringy.
-
Hands-on 3–4 minHeat medium
Toast the breadcrumbs in a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, stirring, until golden and crisp — 3–4 minutes. Set aside.
-
Cooking 12 min
Bring 5 l of water to the boil and salt it (about 10 g per litre).
Cooking — greens and pasta in the same pot
-
Cooking 10–15 min
The greens need 8–10 minutes in all. With fresh orecchiette (cooking time about 6–8 minutes), put the greens in first, then the pasta 3 minutes later. With dried orecchiette (about 13–15 minutes), put the pasta in first and add the greens when 8 minutes remain.
Check Taste an orecchietta and a floret together: the pasta is al dente, the greens tender but still bright green.
-
Hands-on 3–4 minHeat low
Meanwhile warm the olive oil in the frying pan over low heat with the sliced garlic and the chilli for 2–3 minutes, until the garlic is pale gold. Add the anchovies, if using, and stir until they melt.
Tip Burnt garlic turns the whole dish bitter: take the pan off the heat as soon as it colours.
Finishing
-
Hands-on 2 minHeat medium
Drain the pasta and greens, keeping a cup of the cooking water. Toss them in the pan with the dressing over medium heat for about a minute, with a splash of the water, until glossy.
-
Hands-on 1 min
Serve at once, topped with the toasted breadcrumbs — and no cheese.
The essentials, for cooks who know the dish. Switch to Detailed for quantities, temperatures, times and checks at every step.
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Errori comuni
Common mistakes
- Adding grated cheese: the traditional dish has none — toasted breadcrumbs play that role.
- Cooking the greens separately: they go in the same pot as the pasta.
Fuori dall'Italia
Cooking it outside Italy
- Broccoli rabe (rapini) sold in the US and UK is the same plant family and works well.
