🍝 Orecchiette con cime di rapa
Orecchiette con cime di rapa is the signature pasta of Apulia: ear-shaped pasta cooked together with turnip tops (broccoli rabe), then tossed with garlic, chilli and anchovies melted in olive oil. The greens are pleasantly bitter, the anchovies add deep savoury flavour without tasting fishy, and the dish is finished with a drizzle of oil. It is served hot as a main course.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 320 g dried orecchiette
- 600 g cime di rapa (broccoli rabe), trimmed
- 4 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 dried chilli, crumbled
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Salt
Method
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the orecchiette and, after 5 minutes, the chopped greens.
- Meanwhile warm the oil with the garlic, chilli and anchovies, stirring until the anchovies melt.
- When the pasta is al dente, drain it with the greens, keeping a little water.
- Toss everything in the anchovy oil with a splash of cooking water and serve.
How to make it lighter
- Use 2 tbsp oil instead of 3 — each tablespoon is about 120 kcal.
- Double the greens for the same amount of pasta.
- Cut the pasta to 70 g dried per person and let the vegetables fill the plate.
History
Orecchiette con cime di rapa is regarded as the emblematic dish of Apulia and of Bari in particular. It grew out of frugal peasant cooking that relied on home-made pasta and seasonal winter greens.
Count it in one photo
Point your camera at the table — Me Nutrition recognises Orecchiette con cime di rapa and every other dish, with calories and macros for each. Ate only half? Slide it.
Download on the App StoreSimilar dishes
Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →