Name: Orecchiette con le cime di rapa
Prep time: 55 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Cuisine: Italian, Puglia
Ingredients: 400 g fine durum-wheat semolina, plus extra for dusting; 200 ml warm water, approximately; add gradually; 800 g cime di rapa / broccoli rabe, trimmed to tender florets, leaves and stems; 70 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed; 6 anchovy fillets in oil, drained; 1 small dried chilli, crumbled, or to taste; 10 g fine sea salt, for pasta water; final salt may not be needed

Orecchiette con le cime di rapa: wide hero view of orecchiette pasta mixed with dark-green cime di rapa, olive oil and chilli

Prep55 minutes

Cook20 minutes

Total1 h 35 min

Yield4 servings

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The dish

About Orecchiette con le cime di rapa

Puglia’s official PAT atlas records orecchiette con le cime di rapa across the region and describes the finished dish with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, chilli and anchovies.

The pasta dough is made from durum-wheat semolina and water rather than eggs. Small pieces are dragged with a knife and inverted over a fingertip so the rough exterior and cupped centre hold sauce and greens.

The cime di rapa are trimmed to tender flowering tips, leaves and peeled stems. Official guidance cooks the greens in the same pot as the pasta, allowing vegetable flavour to season the orecchiette directly.

Anchovies melt into hot olive oil with garlic and chilli. They function as seasoning rather than as visible fish pieces, adding depth against the pleasantly bitter greens.

The final pan toss is short. Orecchiette should emerge coated in emerald greens and aromatic oil, not simmer for long enough to turn the cime di rapa dull and mushy.

Technique

Three things that matter

Use durum semolina and water for the pasta. The firm grain and rough surface are part of the character of handmade orecchiette.
Cook pasta and greens in the same water. The shared pot is a documented Puglian technique and helps the flavours integrate.
Dissolve the anchovies in the oil. They should season the dish rather than remain as large salty fillets.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Everything needed to prepare the dish, arranged for fast scanning before cooking.

Handmade orecchiette

400 gfine durum-wheat semolinaplus extra for dusting
200 mlwarm waterapproximately; add gradually

Cime di rapa and seasoning

800 gcime di rapa / broccoli rabetrimmed to tender florets, leaves and stems
70 mlextra-virgin olive oil
2garlic cloveslightly crushed
6anchovy fillets in oildrained
1small dried chillicrumbled, or to taste
10 gfine sea saltfor pasta water; final salt may not be needed

Step by step

Method

Make the orecchiette

Mix a firm semolina dough. Mound semolina and add warm water gradually, kneading until a firm smooth dough forms. Use only enough water for cohesion.
The dough should be stiffer than egg pasta and no longer crack deeply when rolled.
Rest the dough. Cover and rest 20 minutes so the semolina hydrates.
The rested dough should feel smoother and easier to roll into cords.
Shape the little ears. Roll portions into cords about 1 cm thick, cut small pieces, drag each piece toward the body with the rounded knife edge, then invert over a fingertip to create a cup.
Each piece should have a rough outer face and a hollow centre.
Dry briefly. Spread the orecchiette in a single layer with semolina while the greens are prepared.
Pieces should remain separate rather than sticking into clusters.

Prepare the greens and aromatic oil

Trim the cime di rapa. Keep tender leaves, flowering tops and peeled thin stems; discard tough fibrous bases. Wash thoroughly in cold water.
Stems should be thin enough to become tender in the pasta cooking time.
Melt anchovies into the oil. Warm olive oil with garlic and chilli over low-medium heat. Add anchovies and stir until they dissolve into the oil. Remove from direct heat before the garlic darkens.
The oil should smell savoury and garlicky without burnt notes.

Boil together and finish

Start the orecchiette. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add fresh orecchiette and return to a boil.
Stir once early so the cupped pieces do not settle together.
Add cime di rapa to the same pot. Once the water has returned to the boil, add the prepared greens and cook until both pasta and stems are tender, typically another 5–7 minutes depending on pasta thickness.
The greens should be tender and bright while the orecchiette remain pleasantly firm.
Toss in anchovy oil. Transfer pasta and greens into the sauté pan with a splash of cooking water. Toss over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until glossy and integrated.
Oil should cling as a light emulsion rather than pool on the plate.
Serve immediately. Taste before adding salt, because anchovies and pasta water already season the dish. Add extra chilli or olive oil only if needed.
The characteristic bitterness of the greens should remain evident rather than being masked.

Practical guidance

Fresh vs dried orecchiette

Fresh handmade pasta is the production standard here. Good dried orecchiette can be used, but start it earlier and add the greens according to the package cooking time.

Anchovies

PAT Puglia includes anchovies. A vegetarian version can omit them, but it should be described as an adaptation rather than the baseline traditional seasoning.

Greens

Cime di rapa are broccoli-rabe/turnip greens with a distinct bitter profile. Ordinary broccoli florets do not reproduce the same flavour.

Cheese

Grated cheese is not needed in this anchovy-seasoned version and can obscure the bitter-green and olive-oil balance.

Troubleshooting

The orecchiette are dense in the centre. They were shaped too thickly or need a few more minutes in the boiling water.
The greens are stringy. Tough stems were not peeled or trimmed away before cooking.
The dish tastes aggressively salty. Extra salt was added before accounting for anchovies and salted pasta water.
The oil separates into a greasy puddle. Add a small splash of starchy cooking water and toss vigorously for a short emulsion.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 pasta-course serving
Calories: approximately 610 kcal
Carbohydrates: 88 g
Protein: 20 g
Fat: 21 g
Fibre: 10 g
Sodium: approximately 920 mg

Anchovy salinity varies; the estimate assumes moderate salt in the cooking water and no cheese.

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat/gluten and fish.

Wash cime di rapa thoroughly, especially around clustered florets where grit can hide.

Refrigerate leftovers promptly; reheat gently with a little water so the pasta does not dry out.

FAQ

Are orecchiette made with eggs?

Traditional Puglian orecchiette are commonly made from durum semolina and water, without egg.

When should the cime di rapa go into the pot?

PAT Puglia instructs adding the greens after the orecchiette water has returned to the boil, so pasta and greens finish together.

Can broccoli replace cime di rapa?

It can make a pleasant pasta but lacks the characteristic bitter turnip-green flavour, so it is an adaptation rather than the same dish.

Final note

What matters most

Result: Firm rough-edged orecchiette coated with tender bitter greens and a glossy garlic-chilli oil seasoned invisibly by anchovies.
Key: The shared cooking water and a very short final toss bind pasta, greens and aromatic oil without overcooking the cime di rapa.