Orecchiette with broccoli and potato
Orecchiette with Broccoli and Potato is a heartwarming dish that captures the essence of childhood memories and Italian culinary traditions. This recipe serves 4 and takes about 55 minutes to prepare, offering a comforting blend of soft-cooked potatoes and broccoli paired with firm orecchiette pasta. It starts with making the pasta from semolina dough, then boiling potatoes until tender and cooking broccoli with olive oil and chili flakes. The broccoli is then blended into a pesto with cheese and lemon zest, combined with the cooked pasta and potatoes, and served with a generous sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano, fresh black pepper, and a hint of lemon juice. This dish is not just a meal but a lesson in the beauty of simplicity, evoking fond memories and the timeless flavors of Italian cuisine.
Ingredients
- 1 quantity semolina dough
- 400 g 14 oz potato, cubed
- 600 g 1 lb 5 oz broccoli, chopped into small pieces
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes
- 100 g 31/2 oz Parmigiano Reggiano, grated, plus extra to serve
- zest of 1 lemon, plus lemon juice to serve
- salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Roll the dough out into long ropes, then cut into pieces around 1 × 1 cm (1⁄2 × 1⁄2 in). Form into orecchiette.
- Place the potato in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over a medium heat and cook until tender, around 15 minutes. Drain.
- Boil the broccoli in a large pot of salted water for 2–3 minutes. Drain well and then fry with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the chilli in a large pan over
- a high heat for 3–4 minutes, or until the broccoli begins to brown. Blitz in a food processor with the remaining olive oil, cheese and lemon zest. Season to taste.
- Cook the orecchiette in a large pot of salted water for 8–10 minutes. Note that it may take longer if you have made them thicker; always check that there’s
- no raw white dough visible when you bite or cut into one. Drain, retaining a cup of pasta water.
- Stir together the hot pasta, broccoli pesto and potato in a large mixing bowl. Use a little of the retained pasta water to bring it together if too dry.
- Serve with freshly grated cheese and black pepper, and a little squeeze of lemon juice to taste.
Notes
ON PASTA
Pici and spaghetti are solid substitutes, as are most eggless pasta shapes. ON INGREDIENTS
Boiling and then frying the broccoli, and even blending it, is a personal preference. For a simpler and lazier method, just boil the broccoli until soft and then stir it directly into the pasta with the remaining ingredients.
Pici and spaghetti are solid substitutes, as are most eggless pasta shapes. ON INGREDIENTS
Boiling and then frying the broccoli, and even blending it, is a personal preference. For a simpler and lazier method, just boil the broccoli until soft and then stir it directly into the pasta with the remaining ingredients.