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1
Combine the semola rimacinata with lukewarm water on a wooden board and work the dough until it is smooth and no longer sticky — approximately 10 minutes of firm kneading. Wrap and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. The dough is ready when it holds a fingerprint cleanly without springing back.
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2
Roll the rested dough into ropes of roughly 1 cm diameter. Cut a 1 cm piece from the rope. Place a blunt knife at 45 degrees on the piece and drag it firmly toward you: the dough rolls around the knife tip and flicks up into a small ear. Work across a lightly floured board and lay completed orecchiette in a single layer to dry slightly. The surface must feel rough and slightly tacky — that texture is what makes the sauce adhere.
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3
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Add the cime di rapa — florets and stems — and cook for 5 minutes. Add the orecchiette directly to the same water without draining the greens. Cook until the pasta is al dente. Reserve a ladleful of the cooking liquid before draining. The water should smell of the bitter vegetable; that bitterness is entering the pasta.
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4
This is where the dish lives or dies: warm the olive oil in a wide pan over low heat. Add the garlic and, if using, the chilli. When the oil is fragrant and the garlic is pale gold, add the anchovy fillets. Press and stir with a wooden spoon until the anchovies dissolve entirely into the oil — no visible pieces remain. Remove and discard the garlic. The oil should appear slightly cloudy and unified, carrying a deep, saline, round aroma with no raw fish note.
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5
Drain the orecchiette and cime di rapa together and transfer immediately to the pan with the anchovy oil. Toss over medium heat, adding the reserved pasta water a little at a time until the olive oil and anchovy emulsify into a sauce that coats every piece. The surface of the orecchiette should shine; each cup should hold a floret and a pool of oil. Serve at once in warm, deep bowls.