Puglia
The canonical Pugliese pasta preparation — hand-pressed orecchiette (little ears) cooked together with blanched cime di rapa (turnip tops) in the same water, dressed with a sauce of garlic, anchovy and olive oil, with a scattering of breadcrumbs (pangrattato) toasted in olive oil. The anchovy dissolves completely into the garlic oil, acting as an invisible umami amplifier for the bitter greens.
Bitter, briny, garlicky and breadcrumb-crunchy; the anchovy gives depth without fishiness; olive oil gives richness; the greens' bitterness is the defining flavour — one of Italy's greatest pasta preparations
{"Cook the cime di rapa in the pasta water — their chlorophyll slightly colours and flavours the water, which then seasons the pasta","Begin cooking the cime di rapa 5 minutes before the orecchiette — they need more time; add pasta to the same pot for the final 10 minutes","Dissolve the anchovy in warm olive oil with garlic gently — never fry; the anchovy must melt, not crisp","The pangrattato must be fine and fried in abundant olive oil until deeply golden — soggy breadcrumbs are worse than no breadcrumbs","Toss pasta, greens and sauce together in the pan with pasta water — the starchy water emulsifies the anchovy oil"}
{"Use fresh-made orecchiette if possible — their rough, hand-pressed surface grips the sauce better than commercial dried","The anchovy should be salt-packed (from Scoglio or Cetara) — Italian salt-packed anchovies give a cleaner, less metallic flavour than Spanish tinned","Dried chilli flakes added to the garlic-anchovy oil at the start gives the traditional Barese touch"}
{"Cooking pasta and greens separately and combining — the shared cooking water is part of the technique and the flavour","Frying the anchovy — it turns bitter; off-heat dissolution is essential","Under-toasted breadcrumbs — pale, soft pangrattato adds nothing; it must be dark gold and crunchy"}
La Cucina Pugliese — Pasta, Verdure e Mare