Orecchiette with a delicious broccoli sauce

BY RICHARD CORNISH

A rich green pasta sauce made with fresh broccoli and enriched with butter and anchovies covers these lovely ‘little ears’ of pasta or orecchiette. We’re using Giuseppe Pasta from Italy. It is made by a family passionate about pasta and who still use bronze dies, or shaped nozzles, to extrude their pasta. This gives a rougher surface so more sauce can cling to the pasta. You can remove the butter and anchovies if you want a vegan version. You can add capers and even use stock to add more body and flavour to the sauce.

Serves 4

• 2 large heads of broccoli, cut into very small florets

• 500g Giuseppe orecchiette

• 60ml extra virgin olive oil

• 40g Inglenook butter

• 6 anchovies (optional)

• Zest one lemon

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 60ml chicken/vegetable stock (optional)

• ½ teaspoon chilli

• Grated parmesan to garnish

Bring two large pots of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the broccoli for 5 minutes or until soft. Cook the pasta as per the directions on the pack. Drain the broccoli. Heat the oil and butter in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Cook the anchovies until they begin to dissolve. Add the garlic. Add the lemon zest and broccoli and cook with a little pasta water or stock until the broccoli starts to break down into a sauce. Remove from heat.

When pasta is done, drain. Add the sauce to the pasta, back in the saucepan. Stir through with chilli flakes. Serve with grated parmesan.