Orecchiette Ripassate con Cime di Rapa e Peperoncino

Ingredients

• For the orecchiette dough
• 500 g semolina rimacinata, fine re-milled durum wheat semolina only; no egg, no plain flour
• 250 ml water, 50% hydration; lukewarm
• 600 g cime di rapa (broccoli rabe), trimmed
• 8 anchovy fillets, salt-packed; desalted and separated (2 fillets per portion)
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 fresh chillies, sliced into rounds; seeds retained or removed to taste
• 80 ml extra-virgin olive oil, Puglian, if possible
• Optional finish
• 40 g briciole, coarse breadcrumbs toasted in olive oil until golden
• 40 g ricotta salata, aged; finely grated

Method

1. 1
   Combine the semolina rimacinata and lukewarm water (50% hydration) in a bowl. Work by hand until a firm, smooth dough forms. Shape into a ball, cover with an inverted bowl or cling film, and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. The dough is ready when it is supple and no longer springs back when pressed.
2. 2
   Divide the rested dough into manageable lengths; roll each into a rope approximately 1 cm in diameter. Cut the rope into 1 cm discs. Working one disc at a time on an unfloured wooden board, place the tip of a round-bladed knife on the disc and drag it away from you with firm pressure, simultaneously pressing and rolling the dough into a small curl. Flip the curl over your thumb to form the characteristic ear-shaped cup. The rough, dragged interior surface — created only by this thumb-drag technique — is the defining quality of the shape; a smooth, machine-pressed surface is its failure.
3. 3
   Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a full rolling boil. Add the cime di rapa and blanch for 1 minute exactly. Remove the greens with a spider or slotted spoon and set aside; retain the water and return it to the boil. The cime should be bright green and barely wilted.
4. 4
   Drop the orecchiette into the same boiling water. In the final 2 minutes of the pasta's cooking time, return the cime di rapa to the pot so that pasta and greens finish together. Before draining, ladle off at least one cupful (approximately 200 ml) of the starchy cooking water and reserve. Drain, leaving the pasta slightly wetter than usual.
5. 5
   Warm the olive oil in a wide sauté pan over a medium flame. Add the sliced garlic and cook until pale gold and fragrant. Add the anchovy fillets and the sliced chilli; press the anchovies with a wooden spoon until they dissolve entirely into the oil, leaving no visible flakes. The oil should smell of the sea without smelling of fish.
6. 6
   Add the drained orecchiette and cime di rapa to the pan. Toss vigorously over a lively heat, adding reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until the anchovy oil emulsifies into a loose, glossy sauce that coats every cup and clings to the greens. The surface of the pasta should appear satin, not oily nor dry.
7. 7
   Divide immediately among four warmed bowls. Finish, according to the Bari tradition, with toasted briciole scattered over the top; or grate ricotta salata over each portion. No Parmigiano.