Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe

Orecchiette with broccoli rabe, garlic, anchovies, and red pepper flakes. Four main ingredients that will take you less than half an hour from preparation to serving. A quick and nutritious meal for busy days. Take it with a cold, bright, and crisp white and it’s pure heaven!

Yield: 4 servings

*Ingredients:

1/2 kilo (1 pound) Broccoli rabe
2 to 3 tbsp olive oil
3 to 4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
6 to 8 anchovy fillets, sliced thinly
1/4 tsp. pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

*Directions:

Boil broccoli rabe and drop them on a prepared ice bath. Set aside to cool. Cook the orecchiette pasta as directed in the package. Proceed to heat some olive oil in a pan. Add the thinly sliced garlic, anchovies, and red pepper flakes. Drop in broccoli rabe and season with salt and pepper. Pour in pasta with a few tablespoons of pasta water. Stir and serve immediately.

**Broccoli rabe or rapini is a green vegetable. The edible parts are the leaves, buds, and stems. The buds somehow resemble broccoli, but do not form a large head. It is particularly associated with Italian (especially Southern Italy) and Portuguese cuisines. The flavor is quite bitter when it matures. When the buds are out, they become more bitter in flavor.