Thank you to Bill Granger for providing this guest post from his book Bill’s Italian Food...
Orecchiette with broccolini and chilli
I try to blanch vegetables very briefly, so they keep a bit of ‘bite’. However, this dish works best when the broccolini is cooked until completely soft (and throwing it in with the pasta saves you dirtying another pan). The toasted golden breadcrumbs provide the crunch here.
Ingredients:
- 350g dried orecchiette
- 350g broccolini, roughly chopped
- 30g butter
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 90g (1 cup) fine fresh breadcrumbs
- freshly grated parmesan cheese, to serve
Directions:
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Tip in the orecchiette and broccolini and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet, until al dente. Drain.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and starts sizzling, stir in the chilli flakes and half the garlic. Tip in the breadcrumbs and fry, stirring, until golden. Transfer to a plate and return the pan to the heat.
Heat the remaining oil and garlic over high heat. Stir for a few seconds, then add the drained pasta and toss until well coated, breaking up the broccolini. Serve scattered with the golden breadcrumbs and the parmesan.
SERVES 4
Recipe taken from Bill’s Italian Food by Bill Granger , published by HarperCollins, RRP $49.99
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