Orecchiette with Fermented Rapini Pesto
Orecchiette is the pasta shape of Puglia (Apulia) a region that is engrained in agriculture that helps keep the entire country fed. From those agricultural roots, also comes a very humble gastronomic tradition rooted in humble ingredients with big flavors. These “little ears” - which are often created by hand in Puglia are frequently paired with sausage and rapini (hands down one of the biggest flavored vegetables) to make one of the more classic pasta dishes of Italy.
The classic is one of my all-time favorite recipes, so I wanted to make sure I paid tribute to it while rethinking how it could be made. Since rapini (broccoli rabe) is the star of this dish, I wanted to further enhance the bitter flavors through fermentation. And then by turning that into a pesto I could coat every single pasta with the flavor that makes the original so popular. I’m not kidding when I say the pesto is so good you will want to eat it on it’s own with a spoon. The addition of ricotta at the end, is to bring a little creaminess to the party and cut through some of the bitterness and funk of the fermented rapini.
The Recipe
Servings: 4
Prep time: 7-10 days fermentation
Cook time: 20 mins.
Difficulty: Medium
Special Equipment:
16 oz. mason jar with lid
Notes:
N/A
Ingredients & Mise en Place
• 16 oz. orecchiette
• 2 bunches rapini (broccoli rabe) - chopped into 1-inch pieces - stems and flowers
• 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
• Ricotta cheese
• Anchovy paste - (optional) - but can substitute with worstershire sauce or an anchovy filet or two
• 3 cloves of garlic - diced small
• ¼ cup grated pecorino romano
• Crushed red pepper - (optional)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Pepper
Preparation
Sauce
01.
In a dutch oven or deep pot over medium heat add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Once the oil is warmed add the onion and garlic, stirring and cooking until fragrant but not browned, about 1-2 minutes. Add in the lamb and shoulder bones searing them on each side with a little salt and pepper. You can increase the heat if the lamb isn’t browning properly on your stove. (Take note of how many bones you have now - you will want to make sure you account for all of them later.)
02.
Once browned, deglaze the pot by adding in the wine. Bring the pot to a rapid simmer to begin to cook off the alcohol. After 1-2 minutes, stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and 6-8 oz. of water. Reduce heat to low and bring the sauce to a light simmer. Cover and let it go for 3-4 hrs. When it’s ready the bones will be clean of meat and the lamb will break down to smaller pieces and strands.
Final Pasta Assembly
01.
Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until al dente - which is about 12 minutes for dry rigatoni. While the pasta cooks seek out and remove the bones in your sauce, then add the raisins and freshly grated nutmeg to taste.
02.
Once the pasta has finished cooking, strain and combine with the sauce in your pot. Plate and finish with lots of fresh Pecorino Romano (don’t be shy) and garnish with fresh mint leaves.
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