Learn how to make authentic Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa, one of Puglia’s most iconic pasta dishes, where handmade pasta meets the pleasant bitterness of broccoli rabe.
A DISH THAT TASTES OF PUGLIA
Some recipes belong so deeply to a place that you cannot think of one without the other.
Orecchiette con cime di rapa is one of them.
This humble dish brings together two ingredients that define Apulian cooking: handmade orecchiette, literally “little ears”, and the pleasantly bitter greens known as cime di rapa.
Simple ingredients.
Strong personality.
Exactly the kind of food Southern Italy has perfected over centuries.
WHY ORECCHIETTE ARE THE PERFECT PASTA
Orecchiette aren’t simply beautiful.
Their small concave shape and rough surface were designed to capture sauces and tiny pieces of vegetables.
Whether paired with ragù, tomato sauce or broccoli rabe, every bite collects just the right amount of seasoning.
Their origins are still debated.
Some historians connect them to nearby Provence.
Others see influences from the Jewish communities of medieval Southern Italy.
A third theory suggests they were inspired by the rounded roofs of Puglia’s famous trulli.
Like many Italian recipes, their exact story may never be known—and perhaps that’s part of their charm.
WHAT ARE CIME DI RAPA?
Although often translated as broccoli rabe, cime di rapa are not actually broccoli.
They belong to the turnip family and are prized for their pleasantly bitter flavor.
Depending on where you are in Italy, you’ll hear different names:
- cime di rapa in Puglia
- friarielli around Naples
- broccoletti in Rome
They’re closely related vegetables, each shaped by local varieties and traditions.
For this recipe, choose young leaves, tender stems, and unopened florets.
They’re sweeter, softer, and cook beautifully alongside the pasta.
HOW TO MAKE ORECCHIETTE CON CIME DI RAPA
One of the clever details of this recipe is that the vegetables and the pasta cook in the same pot.
Meanwhile, garlic, anchovies, chili, olive oil, and breadcrumbs slowly build the sauce.
Everything then comes together in one final sauté, allowing the orecchiette to absorb every flavor.
The result is one of Italy’s greatest examples of cucina povera: few ingredients, almost no waste, and extraordinary taste.
orecchiette with broccoli rabe recipe
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz fresh orecchiette 300 gr - you can also use dry orecchiette
- 18 oz cime di rapa (broccoli rabe) 500 gr
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 dried hot chili (small)
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 anchovies filets
- 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
- parmesan cheese
Instructions
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Bring a pot of salted water to a boil (10 gr/1 teaspoon of salt each liter/4 cups of water).
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Trim broccoli rabes (keep leaves and florets and discard stems).
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Heat olive oil in a large skillet, crush and add the garlic clove, sauté, medium heat, until golden brown.
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Remove the garlic and add the chili (carved to release aroma and deseeded if you don’t like it too spicy).
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Add anchovies and press them with a wooden spatula to dissolve them.
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Add breadcrumbs, mix and cook a couple of minutes.
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Remove chili.
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When water starts to boil pour in the broccoli rabe and cook 5 minutes. Add orecchiette and cook 3-5 more minutes (until pasta is cooked al dente).
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Drain both pasta and rabes and pour them into the skillet. Mix and sauté a couple of minutes.
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Serve hot sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Enjoy your Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa!
Claudia