Orecchiette e Rape

This medieval dish has been traditional in Bari since the 12th century when the city was under Norman-Swabian domination. The name ‘orecchiette’ means ‘little ears’ and it is so called because the shape of the pasta looks a bit like an ear. Orecchiette come in a variety of sizes, today I used the really big ones. You can buy them freshly made by the women in ‘Bari Vecchia’ -the old town, or you can use the dried orecchiette. The freshly made ones are, of course, the best, but the packet ones that you find in the supermarket are not at all bad.

The ladies in the old town, ‘Bari Vecchia’, hard at work making orecchiette.

Rape is a delicious green winter vegetable that tastes slightly bitter and peppery. It is cultivated in the south of Italy and kind of resembles broccoli.

**You can see the difference in size, at the top of the photo are the ones I used today, the smaller ones at the bottom are the size I used in the ‘Orecchiette Baked in a Pumpkin’**

**I used anchovies in salt, but if you can’t find them you can use the ones in a jar in oil**

Serves 2

400 grams rape (net weight…I buy it with stalks removed ready to cook)
200 grams orecchiette
1 clove garlic
1 or 2 anchovies (rinsed and deboned if preserved in salt)
1 cherry tomato
small piece of chilli pepper (optional…I didn’t use it today)

Boil the rape until just soft, strain and put aside. Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet, or from the lady who made it if you’re fortunate enough to find it fresh 🙂 Put about 50mls of extra virgin olive oil in a pan with the garlic, halved tomato and anchovies (and chilli pepper if using). Fry gently for a few minutes until the tomato is soft and the anchovies begin to ‘melt’. Then add in the cooked rape, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lower the heat and cover with a lid. Add in a drop of the pasta water if it looks a bit dry. Allow to cook for a few minutes until everything is amalgamated. Drain the pasta and add it to the rape, turn up the heat, pour in a good drizzle of olive oil and stir carefully with a wooden spoon for a minute or so. This is a very attractive dish with the vivid green of the rape and if you serve it on a brightly coloured plate it looks even better! Buon appetito!