Orecchiette con broccoli

Our best holiday of all was our trip to Puglia and Basilicata, where we simply felt at home. When we were in Ostuni this dish simply blew us away.. Orecchiette means "little ears" and appear straightforward to make but you can buy them dried which is even more straightforward!

Ingredients
serves 4

75g orecchiette , dried
400g tenderstem broccoli (florets only), (or turnips - cime di rapa)
40ml extra virgin olive oil
8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 tsp red chilli flakes (or more to taste)
75g vegetarian Italian hard cheese, grated
40g breadcrumbs, toasted

salt, to taste

Method

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan on a low heat and add the chopped garlic. Simmer gently for 15 minutes or more, being careful not to burn the garlic. Sieve out the garlic and keep the infused oil to one side for later.

Prepare the broccoli by cutting off the florets, discard the stems.  Bring a pan of salted water to a boil. 

Add the broccoli and cook for about 5 minutes until quite soft, then with a slotted spoon drop into a bowl of cold water to stop any further cooking.

Bring the water back to a boil and add the orecchiette. Cook for 15 minutes until "al dente". 

Once the pasta has almost cooked, add the broccoli, and leave for a minute before draining. Place the pasta and broccoli into a large bowl, add the garlic infused oil, chilli flakes and grated cheese. Stir well. Add a pinch of salt, season to taste.

Serve immediately and sprinkle with the toasted breadcrumbs.