Cooking instructions
Orecchiette with Broccoli, Crispy Chickpea Crumbs & Anchovy Sauce
Orecchiette with Broccoli, Crispy Chickpea Crumbs & Anchovy Sauce
What you need
What you need
Ingredients by Cbovero
- Orecchiette Pasta
- Fresh Broccoli
- Cbovero Anchovy Sauce
- Toasted Chickpeas
- Grated Pecorino Cheese
Ingredients From Your Pantry
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for finishing)
- Sea salt (for pasta water)
Equipment Needed
- Large pot for boiling pasta
- Colander or strainer
- Large skillet or sauté pan
- Cutting board & sharp knife
Nutritional info
Nutritional info
All nutritional values are based on a per person scale.
Ingredients & Allergens
Ingredients & Allergens
Orecchiette pasta (gluten, wheat), broccoli, chickpeas, Pecorino cheese (milk), anchovies (fish), olive oil, garlic, dried chili, salt.
For allergens please see ingredients in bold. Please be advised that we handle the following allergens in our kitchen: CELERY, SOYA, GLUTEN, NUTS, PEANUTS, MUSTARD, SESAME SEEDS, SULPHITES
Cooking Instructions
Before you start, take out all the ingredients for this recipe and rinse any fresh vegetables or herbs. Try our sensorial experience — an easy way into mindful cooking. 04_01 Sensorial experience EN.mp3
STEP 1 - Zero-Waste Broccoli Prep
Separate the broccoli florets from the main stem. Cut the florets into neat, bite-sized pieces. Slice the stem vertically into long, thin planks. Stack these planks and slice them again to create thin matchsticks (julienne).
STEP 2 - The Staged Boil
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
- Add the orecchiette pasta and cook for 3 minutes.
- Drop in your julienned broccoli stem and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Finally, toss in the broccoli florets and let everything boil together for the last 2 minutes (8 minutes total pasta cook time al dente).
STEP 3 - Reserve and Drain
Before draining, scoop out a cup of the hot, starchy pasta boiling water and set it aside. Drain the pasta, stems, and florets together in a colander.
STEP 4 - Warm the Sauce
Empty the pre-crafted Cbovero Anchovy Sauce into a large skillet over medium heat. Once the sauce is warm and fully liquid, pour in a few tablespoons of your reserved pasta water to create a shallow, bubbling base.
STEP 5 - Manteccare (The Art of Emulsion)
Dump the drained pasta and broccoli directly into the skillet. Now, it's time to manteccare—create that luxurious, velvety sauce.
How to Manteccare: Hold the handle of your pan firmly. Using a rapid, continuous back-and-forth jerking motion, flip the pasta up and over itself in the pan while vigorously stirring with a wooden spoon. This motion forces the hot olive oil, melted anchovies, and starchy pasta water to bind together.
Continue this motion for about 1 minute until a thick, glossy sauce coats every single ear of orecchiette. Turn off the heat, drizzle in a touch of fresh olive oil, and toss for a few seconds more.
STEP 6 - Plate and Garnish
Transfer the creamy pasta to your plate. Shower the top with the pre-grated Pecorino cheese (or stir it into the pan right before plating if you prefer it melted!). Sprinkle the toasted "chickpea crumbs" over the top to mimic traditional crunchy breadcrumbs, and finish with a final thread of high-quality extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy my dear.
Chef's Notes
Using the starchy pasta water to manteccare is the secret to Italian restaurant-quality pasta. The starch acts as a natural binder that emulsifies the olive oil and anchovies into a cohesive sauce rather than letting the oil pool greasy at the bottom of your plate. Always add the water sparingly—it is much easier to splash a little more in than to cook off an excess!