Pasta with broccoli, tomatoes and almonds

This is a typical hard wheat pasta dish from the Puglia region. They are known as “strascinati” (lit. “dragged out”), and are accompanied by gravies or fairly liquid sauces, since they absorb a lot of liquid.

  • Time

    35 minutes

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Course

    First Courses

  • Italian Region

    Puglia

Ingredients

Servings 4

  • ¾ lb orecchiette
  • ¾ lb broccoli
  • 3 oz Pecorino cheese
  • ¾ oz salted anchovies
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 3 oz extra virgin olive oil
  • 7 oz cherry tomatoes
  • ⅛ oz salt
  • ⅛ oz black pepper
  • 1 oz almonds

Preparation

20 minutes preparation + 15 minutes cooking

Step 1

Heat the oil in a pan and brown the chopped garlic, then add the minced anchovies.

Pasta with broccoli dried tomatoes and almonds - step 1

Step 2

Add the broccoli previously blanched in boiling salted water, then the tomato, and leave to cook over a low heat for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add a little oil.
In a casserole containing boiling salted water, cook the “orecchiette”, stirring from time to time to avoid them sticking to one another.

Pasta with broccoli dried tomatoes and almonds - step 2

Step 3

Grind some black pepper into the pan containing the broccoli, drain the “orecchiete”, leaving them slightly wet.

Pasta with broccoli dried tomatoes and almonds - step 3

Step 4

Toss the “orecchiette” in the pan, seasoning them uniformly, turn out onto the serving plates and decorate with slivers of Pecorino and slivers of almond.

Pasta with broccoli dried tomatoes and almonds - step 4

Chef's Tips

The broccoli must be cooked in boiling salted water because in this way they maintain their green color and the heads do not break up. Because of their shape, the “strascinati” tend to clump together during cooking; it is a good idea to stir them continuously during the first few minutes of cooking.

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