Orecchiette con broccolini e pangrattato

To start with I fried some breadcrumbs with olive oil, a clove of garlic, and a little salt. When the breadcrumbs were golden I put them aside and used the same pan to cook the broccolini (no rinsing of the pan required, just add a little more olive oil and fresh garlic). Fresh broccolini need very little cooking, even less than broccoli, I just wash them and then sautéed them with olive oil and garlic, add a pinch of salt, then turned the heat off, put the lid on the pot for a few minutes and the remaining steam will do the rest of the cooking for you. You need a pot with a good lid!

In the meantime I cooked the orecchiette in plenty of salted boiling water. I followed the packet instructions for this, as different manufacturers seem to have different timing and orecchiette are usually more 'crunchy' than other types of pasta.

Once ready I drained them and placed them in the pot with the broccolini, I stirred and then topped everything with the fried breadcrumbs.

A chilli can also be added to the broccolini for a hotter taste.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©