Orecchiette with broccoli and Apulian olive oil: the authentic recipe
Reading time: approx. 5 minutes | Category: Recipes | Uliveto di Mede
Few dishes show what Apulian cooking is at its core as well as orecchiette con le cime di rapa — or, in its light summer version: orecchiette with broccoli. Few ingredients, maximum flavour, and the secret lies entirely in the quality of the olive oil.
This is not a dish you hide behind heavy sauces. It is a dish in which the olive oil is the star — and you notice it in every bite.
The story behind orecchiette
Orecchiette — literally "little ears" — are the most iconic pasta shape of Puglia. They have always been made by hand: a small piece of dough is pressed with the thumb across a rough wooden board until the characteristic little cup takes shape.
In the streets of the historic centre of Bari, the capital of Puglia, you can still see nonnas making orecchiette on folding tables in front of their doors. It is a living tradition, passed down from mother to daughter, generation after generation.
The classic recipe combines orecchiette with cime di rapa (turnip tops), but broccoli is an equally authentic variation — less bitter, more widely available, and perfectly balanced with the peppery touch of good extra virgin olive oil.
Our connection with this recipe In Sicarico, the village where our olive grove stands, this dish is on the table every week. The finishing touch? Always a generous splash of fresh olive oil, drizzled raw over the pasta just before serving. Never heated, never mixed in — simply pure, as it should be.
The recipe: orecchiette with broccoli and Apulian olive oil
Key information Serves: 4 | Preparation: 10 min | Cooking time: 15 min | Total: 25 min Difficulty: easy | Cuisine: Italian, Puglia Category: pasta, main course, vegetarian
Ingredients
• 500 g orecchiette (dried or fresh)
• 1 large head of broccoli (approx. 600 g), divided into small florets
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil — use our Essenziale or Il Quotidiano here
• 1 dried red chilli (peperoncino), crumbled — optional but recommended
• Sea salt to taste
• Pecorino or Parmigiano, grated — for serving
• Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle raw when serving
Method
1. Put a large pan of salted water on the hob. Bring to the boil. Be generous with the salt — the cooking water should taste like the sea.
2. Cook the broccoli in the boiling water for 3–4 minutes until tender but still firm. Lift out the florets with a slotted spoon and keep the cooking water.
3. Cook the orecchiette in the same water according to the packet instructions — preferably al dente. Keep 2 ladlefuls of cooking water for the sauce.
4. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and the peperoncino. Fry for about 1 minute until the garlic becomes fragrant — do not let it brown.
5. Add the broccoli to the pan and lightly crush half of it with a fork. This creates a creamy base that blends with the pasta. Fry for 2–3 minutes.
6. Add the drained orecchiette to the pan together with a ladleful of cooking water. Mix well. Add a little more cooking water if needed for the right consistency.
7. Serve immediately in shallow bowls. Drizzle plenty of raw extra virgin olive oil over each plate — this is the moment the flavour truly comes into its own. Sprinkle with grated pecorino or Parmigiano.
The finishing touch makes the difference The raw olive oil you drizzle over the pasta at the last moment is not just a garnish — it is the heart of the dish. Heated olive oil loses some of its aromas and polyphenols. By using it raw as a finish, you combine maximum flavour with maximum nutritional value. Use our Essenziale here — its bold, fruity flavour is exactly what this dish needs.
Variations and cooking tips
Make it more festive
At the end, add toasted breadcrumbs (pangrattato) as a topping instead of cheese. Fry coarse breadcrumbs in olive oil with a pinch of salt until crisp and sprinkle over the pasta. This is the traditional poor man's version — in the old days, fishermen had no cheese, but they did have stale bread.
With anchovies
Add 3–4 anchovy fillets to the pan together with the garlic. They melt away and give a deep, savoury umami flavour that goes perfectly with the broccoli. Not fishy, but full and complex.
With fresh orecchiette
If you use fresh orecchiette from our Authentic Trio box, halve the cooking time — fresh pasta cooks in 2–3 minutes instead of 10–12 minutes.
Why olive oil makes or breaks the dish
This recipe has only a handful of ingredients. There is no sauce, no cream, no complex technique. That also means the quality of each ingredient is fully on show — and nowhere is that more true than for the olive oil.
A refined or neutral olive oil gives this dish a flat, greasy taste. A real extra virgin olive oil with pronounced fruity notes, a slight bitterness and a peppery finish — like our Essenziale from Sicarico — lifts the dish to a completely different level.
It is the difference between a meal and a memory.
Products used in this recipe Essenziale – Artisanal Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Puglia 750 ml → for the raw finishing touch over the pasta. Il Quotidiano – 3 litre tin → for frying with the garlic and broccoli. Authentic Trio – Pesto, Olive Paste & Vegetable Sauce (3×190g) → for variations and antipasti with this dish.
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