Discover the art of cooking orecchiette with cime di rapa, a delicious and healthy recipes from Southern Italy
Pour the semolina flour into a large bowl together with a pinch of salt; add gradually 150 ml of water and set aside the rest;
Stir with a fork until you will obtain big crumbles, then transfer on a wooden board and start kneading, adding water if necessary. The amount of water may be not always the same, the dough needs to be pretty harder then the classic egg pasta dough;
Knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough will be smooth and elastic; wrap in clingfilm and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Cut a small piece of dough - cover the rest with a tea towel - and roll into a long sausage shape about 1 cm in diameter. Cut it into 1 cm pieces. Draw each piece across the board with a blunt eating knife, so the dough curls around the knife. Push the dough outside and turn it inside out using your thumb. Repeat.
Bring to the boil a big pot of water.
Clean and wash the cime di rapa in plenty water. Drain well.
Add one tablespoon of salt in the boiling water and cook the vegetables for about five minutes.
Drain the cime di rapa, but leave the water into the pot - you will use it for the pasta.
Once the vegetables are cooled enough to be touched, squeeze them with your hands and chop roughly.
In a large pan heat the extra virgin olive oil, add the garlic, chilly flakes and anchovies and cook until the anchovies melt without burning the garlic.
Add the cime di rapa and cook for about five minutes.
During this time bring the water to the boil again. When the water is boiling pour the orecchiette and cook for about 4 minutes.
Heat again the pan with the sauce, when the orecchiette comes up, drain them reserving about 1 glass of pasta cooking water.
Toss the orecchiette in the sauce, stirring and adding some pasta cooking water. Serve with pecorino cheese.