Traditional orecchiette

When orecchiette pasta meets cauliflower and anchovies satisfaction is guaranteed. Here we pair it with a rosé made from Aglianico grapes: Flavia Irpinia Rosato DOC Fiorentino.

This is an easy and quick dish to prepare but the utmost attention must be paid to choosing the right ingredients and using Cetara anchovies is essential. Their intense and unmatchable flavor are the key to the plate’s success. Using cauliflower rather than the classic broccoli, on the other hand, makes this dish more delicate.

Ingredients for 6 people:

400g fresh orecchiette pasta, 1 cauliflower of around 400g, 2 Cetara anchovies preserved in salt, 1 garlic clove, a generous tablespoon of pine nuts, 1 slice of stale bread, 5 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, salt as needed, 30g of grated salted ricotta cheese and 1 tablespoon of aged balsamic vinegar.

Directions:

Boil the cauliflower spears until they are very ‘al dente’ or undercooked, remove and save the water.

Brown the garlic in a pan with EVOO, add the anchovies that have been previously unsalted, cleaned, scaled and cut into pieces and then cook at a low heat until the anchovies have dissolved.

Remove the garlic and add the cauliflower spears, salt to taste and cook for another five minutes or so.

Toast the pine nuts in a pan together with the stale bread that has been cut into small pieces.

Boil the orecchiette in the water used to cook the cauliflower and then add them to the pan together with a few tablespoons of the cooking water and mix everything together adding in the toasted pine nuts and bread along with the grated salted ricotta.