Spaghettini with cime di rapa, anchovy and chilli
One of the most comforting pasta dishes around! Swap the spaghettini for orecchiette, the more traditional route! And if you can’t find cime di rapa (sometimes called broccoli rabe or rapini), simply go with a few heads of broccoli instead. Make sure to cook them until almost falling apart in the water, then again in the pan so they create a sauce for the pasta!
Serves 4
350g spaghettini or pasta of your choice
1 bunch cime di rapa
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
1 small tin anchovies
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes, plus extra to serve
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Crunchy breadcrumbs:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
60g breadcrumbs
Sea salt
Cut the bunch of cime di rapa in half, just so it can fit in a pot. Blanch it in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes or until quite tender. Remove the cime di rapa with tongs, drain and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out the excess water and finely chop. Set aside
Make the breadcrumbs by warming the oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until golden. Remove from the heat and season with salt.
For the sauce, warm the olive oil in a large frying pan over a low-medium heat. Add the anchovies and their oil, along with the garlic and chilli. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant and the anchovies have begun to dissolve a little. Add the cime di rapa and cook for 5-6 minutes or until quite soft and darker in colour. Add some of the cooking water into the pan if it begins to dry out.
Cook the pasta in the same pot of salted water in which you cooked the cime di rapa in, until just before al dente. Transfer the pasta to the frying pan, reserving the cooking water. Cook the pasta with the cime di rapa for 1-2 minutes longer, adding cooking water as needed, until the pasta is al dente and well-coated in the sauce. Season to taste
Serve with topped with some extra chilli flakes, olive oil and a scattering of the breadcrumbs.
Photography: Annika Kafcaloudis
