Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa Recipe: Puglia’s Classic Pasta

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Orecchiette con cime di rapa is the signature pasta of Puglia. You make small ear-shaped pasta from flour and water, then toss it with bitter turnip tops, garlic, chilli and anchovy. This orecchiette con cime di rapa recipe serves four and takes about 90 minutes with fresh pasta, or 25 minutes with a good dried one.

Puglia is the heel of Italy’s boot. Its food is simple, and it relies on a few good things: olive oil, durum wheat and whatever vegetable is in season. This dish uses all three. If you plan to eat your way through the region, our guide to Ostuni, Lecce and other Puglian towns shows where the best food towns sit.

What Is Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa?

Orecchiette means “little ears”. The name fits: each piece is a small, curved disc with a thin rim and a thicker centre. The shape holds sauce well, and the thick middle stays chewy.

Cime di rapa are turnip tops, the leafy green shoots of the turnip plant. They taste bitter and a little peppery, like a mix of broccoli and rocket. In Puglia they appear in autumn and winter, which makes this a good dish for cooler months. Italians also call them broccoletti or friarielli in other regions, though each has its own character.

Cooks in Bari have made orecchiette by hand for generations. Women in the old town have long shaped them by hand at their doorways. That hand-made tradition is why this pasta feels so tied to the place.

Ingredients for Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa

For the fresh orecchiette

• 300 g semola rimacinata (finely milled durum wheat flour), plus extra for dusting
• About 150 ml warm water
• A pinch of fine salt

Traditional orecchiette contain no egg. Durum flour and water give the pasta its firm bite. Plain “00” flour is too soft, so look for semola rimacinata in Italian delis or online.

For the sauce

• 800 g cime di rapa, or 500 g trimmed leaves and tender stalks
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 4 to 6 anchovy fillets in oil
• 1 small dried red chilli, crumbled, or a pinch of chilli flakes
• Salt
• Optional: toasted breadcrumbs or grated pecorino to finish

If you cannot find cime di rapa, use tenderstem broccoli or broccoli rabe. The flavour changes a little, but the method stays the same.

How to Make Fresh Orecchiette

1. Tip the flour onto a clean work surface. Make a well in the middle and add the salt.
2. Pour in the water a little at a time. Mix with your fingers until a rough dough forms.
3. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes. The dough should feel firm and smooth, not sticky. Wrap it and rest it for 30 minutes.
4. Cut off a piece and roll it into a rope about 1.5 cm thick. Cut the rope into pieces the size of a small pea.
5. Press a blunt knife on one piece and drag it towards you. The dough curls into a rough shell.
6. Turn the shell over your thumb so the rough side faces out. You now have an ear shape with a thin rim.
7. Place the pieces on a floured tray in one layer. Let them dry for 30 minutes.

Your first few will look uneven. That is normal, and uneven pieces cook well together. After ten or twenty, your hands find the rhythm.

A note on shop-bought pasta

Good dried orecchiette are widely sold and work well. Dried pasta takes 12 to 15 minutes to cook, so check the packet. Fresh pieces cook in about 3 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness.

How to Cook Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa

Prepare the greens

Wash the cime di rapa well. Trim the tough ends of the stalks. Keep the leaves, the florets and the tender stalks, and chop them into pieces about 5 cm long.

Cook the pasta and greens together

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Salt it well.
2. Add the greens and boil for 3 minutes.
3. Add the orecchiette to the same pot. Cook until the pasta is tender but still firm in the centre.
4. While the pasta cooks, warm the olive oil in a wide pan over a low heat. Add the garlic, anchovies and chilli.
5. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes. The anchovies melt into the oil. Do not let the garlic brown.
6. Lift the pasta and greens out with a slotted spoon and add them to the pan. Keep a cup of the cooking water.
7. Toss over a medium heat for a minute. Add a splash of cooking water until the sauce coats the pasta.
8. Taste, and add salt only if needed. The anchovies are already salty.

Cooking the greens in the pasta water saves a pan and gives the water a little flavour. It also means everything finishes at the same time.

Serve

Serve straight away in warm bowls. Add a thread of olive oil. Many cooks in Puglia finish the dish with toasted breadcrumbs instead of cheese, a habit from the days when cheese was costly. Both versions are good.

Tips for the Best Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa

• Do not skip the bitterness. A little bitterness is the point. The anchovy and oil balance it.
• Use plenty of garlic and oil. This is a simple dish, so the quality of the oil shows. Our guide to the Italian olive harvest and olio nuovo explains what to look for.
• Keep the pasta water. The starch helps the sauce cling.
• Dry fresh pasta before cooking. Pieces that dry for half an hour keep their shape in the pot.

Regional Variations

Cooks in Puglia change this dish from town to town. Some add a few cherry tomatoes. Others leave out the anchovy and use only garlic and chilli. In Bari, a version with strong ricotta (ricotta forte) is common in some homes. Another popular pairing is orecchiette with a meat ragù, often served on Sundays.

Puglia’s other famous dishes use the same simple approach. If you travel by car, The Great Italian Road Trip passes through the south, and Matera sits a short drive from the Puglian border.

How to Store and Reheat

Eat the dish fresh. Leftovers keep for one day in the fridge. Reheat them in a pan with a spoon of water. Uncooked fresh orecchiette freeze well on a tray, then in a bag. Cook them from frozen and add one extra minute.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are cime di rapa in English?

Cime di rapa are turnip tops. Many English-speaking cooks use broccoli rabe or rapini, which taste very similar. Tenderstem broccoli is a milder substitute.

Do orecchiette contain egg?

No. Traditional orecchiette use only durum wheat flour and water. This gives a firm texture that holds up to a strong sauce.

Can I make orecchiette con cime di rapa without anchovies?

Yes. Leave them out and add a little more salt and chilli. The dish is also fine for vegetarians that way, though the flavour is lighter.

What is the best way to shape orecchiette?

Drag a small piece of dough with a blunt knife, then turn it over your thumb. This knife method is the classic technique. With practise you can shape one in a few seconds.

You Might Also Enjoy

• Living in Puglia: Ostuni, Lecce and More Towns to Settle
• Olive Harvest in Italy: Olio Nuovo and Where to Taste It
• Matera: Walking Through Italy’s Ancient Cave City

Plan Your Italy Trip

Ready to taste Puglia on the spot? Start with our Ultimate Italy Travel Guide to plan your route, pick your regions and choose the best season to go.

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