Hey three readers, I’m back to publish this recipe, which has become a staple in my life. Very easy, no big requirements, guaranteed success. A friend has asked me to put it down, so here is what you’ll need:
- 400 g of pasta. I like to use fusilli (e.g. La Molisana) but orecchiette are more traditional, given this recipe come from Puglia;
- A piece of ricotta salata (I get it from Harris Farm or Crown Street Grocer, Sydney);
- 90g of anchovy fillets in olive oil (you MUST use the brand Delicius, see here. Again, Crown Street Grocer);
- a broccoli head;
- a little parsley branch;
- a chilli;
- a clove of garlic;
- extra virgin olive oil;
- salt and pepper;
A note on ricotta salata. Ricotta salata is the aged salty version of ricotta. I strongly recommend you to use it, but if you really can’t find it or want to try out the recipe with what you have in the house, you can use pecorino or even parmesan (not recommended).
Put a pan on low-medium heat and light fry some chilli (at your discretion), a parsley branch and a clove of peeled garlic in a generous amount of evo oil. Add half of the anchovies too, making them dissolve into the oil.
When the garlic has browned (after about 5 minutes), remove it and the parsley branch, otherwise they’ll end up burning.
Now add all the chopped broccoli to the pan. The finer you chop them, the more the sauce will be “creamy” rather than chunky. The broccoli will absorb most of the flavoursome oil. That’s okay. I usually just top up after with an extra bit of oil though.
That’s it. Let the Fettuccelle boil in salty water separately for 10 minutes and then add them to the pan with a ladle of pasta water. Mix the pasta vigorously as it finishes cooking with the sauce on a high flame.
Only when the pasta is cooked (al dente!) You can turn the heat off and start grating the ricotta salata on top, while also mixing. This is what we called the “mantecatura” phase. Remember: heat off. You’re not looking for a pasta with strings of cheese. The cheese should remain kind of raw and blend in with the sauce.
Extra tips. (1) If the pasta gets too dry while on the pan, adjust the creaminess by adding pasta water to it. (2) If you want to take the edge off the anchovies, add half a glass of dry white wine to the oil-anchovies mix. Then let the alcohol evaporate. Then add the broccoli. (3) Some lemon peel in the soffritto is a nice addition.
Italo's Kitchen 