Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Salted Alici: Alici are a close relative of the sardine, and work very well as a seasoning here, imparting both salt and a pleasing fishy accent to the broccoli. The recipe, which is from Bari, will serve 4:
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound (400 g) orecchiette, either home made or store-bought (if need be substitute farfalle, butterflies).
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 7 pounds broccoli rabe
- 3 Salted Alici (use salted sardines, or 6 anchovy filets if need be)
- Salt
- Pepper
Preparation:
Wash and clean the broccoli rabe. Trim the florets, and the more tender leaves; discard the rest (the rest will be very bitter). Bring abundant salted water to a boil and add the broccoli rabe. After about 8 minutes add the orecchiette and cook them too.While the pasta is cooking, wash and bone the fish. Heat the oil in a skillet and add the fish, stirring them vigorously to reduce them to a liquid sauce, then keep it warm. Drain the pasta and vegetables well and transfer them to a bowl. Season them with the sauce and a healthy dusting of freshly grated black pepper, and serve them hot, with more grated pecorino on the side.
The wine? A full bodied white, for example a Sauvignon-based Salice Salentino Bianco.
