I had a vegetarian friend who lived in the Hudson River Valley who was so excited to make an Italian recipe for me when I visited.
“It’s amazing!” he gushed. “It has tons and tons of garlic...” ... !!! “Whoa, stop!” I said. And, you know the rest.
He ended up making it for me, convincing himself that shallots would be just as good as garlic. And, in the end, they were! Aside from the shallots it had broccoli florets, lots of olive oil, and a few red pepper flakes served over farfalle with some Parmesan cheese.
Years later, having become familiar with authentic uses of different pasta forms, I realized what he was using what was available locally to make a version of Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa. Neither cime di rapa nor orecchiette were available in small towns in New York. It was the 80s, after all.
Cime di rapa – also known as broccoli rabe or rapini - is still hard to find now. For years, when I have made this dish, I have simply used broccolini, which works fine. But whenever I see Cime di Rapa, I grab a bunch! Recently, the Cochise Family Farm stand at our market offered some, and I knew we were in for a treat.
To go with it, we had some artisanal orecchiette from our friends Susan and Towny, home-cured pancetta (obviously, this is NOT the vegetarian version), lots of sweet shallots, homegrown chiltepins, and a chunk of incredible Parmigiano-Reggiano made from the milk of red cows, which was a gift brought from Italy by our friends Annamaria and Giuseppe.
I haven’t spoken to my friend in the Hudson Valley for over 30 years... but I thank him every time I make this recipe.
~ David
Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa
1 large bunch cime di rapa, or rapini/broccoli rabe
12 ounces orecchiette
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 large shallots, peeled and diced
4 ounces pancetta, diced
red pepper flakes, to taste
freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
Trim the cime di rapa. Start by cutting off the florets and set them aside. Slice the stems no thicker than 1/4 inch thick. Set them aside, as well.
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the orecchiette and set the timer for three minutes prior to their finish time. For example, if they cook in 12 minutes, set the timer for 9 minutes.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the pancetta. When it has begun to render its fat, reduce the heat to medium and add the shallots and red pepper flakes. When the pancetta is golden and the shallots are clear, turn off the heat.
When the timer sounds, add the sliced cime di rapa stems to the pasta. After a minute or so, add the florets. (If the florets are large, I add them after 1 minute. If they are small, I wait 2 minutes.)
When the orecchiette has cooked fully, use a spider to remove the pasta and cime di rapa; reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Add the pasta and cime di rapa to the skillet with the pancetta and shallots, and toss to coat the pasta. Turn the heat to medium-high. When it’s hot, add enough pasta water - about 1/4 cup to start - to make a silky sauce.
Serve immediately with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Serves 4.
