Orecchiette con zucca e broccoli – Orecchiette pasta with butternut squash and purple sprouting broccoli recipe
ORECCHIETTE PASTA WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND PURPLE SPROUTING BROCCOLI
Orecchiette, meaning ‘little ears’, are handmade eggless pasta shapes originating from Puglia and traditionally served with a sauce of broccoli and anchovies. It used to be quite usual to see women in this part of southern Italy sitting outside their homes making this pasta; it is still homemade in many households and my zia Antonietta is a ‘professional’. As its popularity has grown, factories have begun producing orecchiette and it is now widely available, even here. I really like this type of pasta; it has quite a bite. This recipe uses butternut squash instead of anchovies, making it an excellent dish for all the family to enjoy. If you like a little heat, add some dried chilli (chile) at the end – it really enhances the squash. I love chilli, but usually just sprinkle it on for my wife Liz and me, and the children have it without.
Serves 4
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
½ red onion, finely chopped
½ garlic clove, finely chopped
85g/3oz pancetta or bacon, finely chopped
1 sprig of fresh thyme
½ red chilli (chile), finely chopped
250g/9oz butternut squash flesh, cut into cubes
salt
300g/10½oz orecchiette
100g/3½oz purple sprouting broccoli, stems trimmed, cut into chunks
30g/1oz Parmesan, grated, plus extra to sprinkle
a pinch of dried chilli (chile) (optional)
Preparation instructions:
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan, add the onion, garlic, pancetta, thyme and the fresh chilli and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the pumpkin, and salt to taste, then lower the heat, cover the pan and cook for about 20 minutes, until tender. Add a couple of tablespoons of hot water if the pumpkin gets too dry.
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil and cook the orecchiette until al dente, according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and set aside.
Cook the broccoli in boiling water for about minutes, until tender, then drain and stir into the cooked pumpkin. Add the drained orecchiette and grated Parmesan and mix well. Serve immediately with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, extra Parmesan and the dried chilli, if desired.
Recipe from Gennaro Contaldo’s “Gennaro: Let’s Cook Italian: Favourite Family Recipes” cookbook.