This is one of my all time favourite pastas. The smoky anchovies and the heat of the chillis are beautiful with the vegetables. Terzini’s head-note attributes the recipe to Karen Martini (executive chef at Mr Wolf in Melbourne and recipe contributor to Sunday Life magazine), I can’t wait for her first cookbook, due out later this year.
Serves 2 – 3
200g (small head) broccoli, roughly chopped
200g (1/2 head) cauliflower, roughly chopped
50ml olive oil
1 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
2-4 large anchovy fillets in oil
¼ bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
300g orecchiette pasta
50g grated parmesan
25 ml extra virgin olive oil
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil and add broccoli. Cook for 6-8 minutes, or until tender. Drain, setting aside 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid.
Add fresh water to the pan and bring to the boil, Add cauliflower and cook for 8 minutes, or until tender, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Set aside.
In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, then add garlic, chilli and anchovies. Cook, breaking up and mashing anchovies as they heat, but do not allow the garlic to brown. Add broccoli and mash well with the back of a spoon. When the broccoli has heated through, add cauliflower, half the parsley and the reserved cooking liquid. Bring mixture to the boil and season with salt and pepper. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and add orecchiette. Cook until al dente, then drain.
Return sauce to heat and toss in pasta, heat through. Stir in parmesan and remaining parsley. Add a little water if the sauce is too thick. Spoon into large, heated pasta bowls, then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil to serve.
Maurizio Terzini is one of Australia’s leading restaurateurs, with some of our best Italian restaurants (including Otto, Caffe e Cucina, Il Bacaro and Icebergs Dining Room and Bar) to his name. Something Italian is his collection of memories and recipes from these restaurants. The recipes are divided into Italian meals and rituals from calazione (breakfast), through spuntino (afternoon snack) to mezzanotte (late-night snack).