Puglia
Pasta with broccoli rabe
Growing up, Mom almost always paired it with cavatelli, and in Puglia it is orecchiette. Use what you have in the pantry.
Makes
4
Level
Medium with a grown-up
Kids cook with a grown-up. Hot ovens, boiling water and frying are grown-up jobs, and sharp knives need a grown-up’s hands too.
Ingredients
Broccoli rabe: 1 large bunch, about 1 pound, tough ends trimmed
Mezzi rigatoni or orecchiette: 1 pound
Garlic: 8 cloves, sliced
Olive oil: 1/3 cup
Red pepper flakes: 1/2 teaspoon
Day old bread: 2 cups, torn, for homemade breadcrumbs
Parmigiano Reggiano or pecorino: 1/2 cup grated
Lemon: 1, cut in half
Calabrian chili paste: 4 teaspoons, optional, a dab on each plate
Salt: for the pasta water and to taste
Method
Make the breadcrumbs. Toast the torn bread in a skillet with a little olive oil until golden and crunchy, then crush it into coarse crumbs. A grown-up handles the hot pan.
Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Blanch the broccoli rabe 1 to 2 minutes, then lift it out and chop it. A grown-up handles the hot pot.
If your rabe is very bitter, boil it a minute or two longer.
Cook the pasta in the same water until al dente. Save a cup of pasta water.
Warm the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes.
Add the chopped rabe and cook 3 minutes, stirring.
Add the drained pasta and a ladle of pasta water. Toss for 1 minute until glossy.
Spoon onto plates and sprinkle with the grated cheese.
Top with the crunchy breadcrumbs, a dab of chili paste if you like heat, and a squeeze of lemon.
