Orecchiette with broccolini is the first of our lament dinners to Italy and our trip which should have started on 3/10/20. Being in the higher risk pool for the coronavirus John and I are spending a lot of time sitting around the house and walking around the block instead of looking at the great art of Italy and eating its fabulous foods.

This dish comes from the region of Puglia which is on the east coast of Italy. Food is very much a regional affair in Italy. What you might eat in Puglia is not what you would eat in Tuscany. Usually this pasta is made with broccoli rabe which is much more bitter than broccolini so I found our dinner a little sweet. But it is pasta! It ranks high in my book regardless.

Orecchiette (little ears) with broccolini

This is super simple to make. Blanch the broccolini in the boiling pasta water and then give it a dunk in ice water. Put the pasta in to cook. While that is going on, sauté the garlic and bell pepper. Then add the broccolini and warm it through. Save some pasta water before you drain the orecchiette. Pour the pasta into the veg, add some pasta water and olive oil, and you are done. Garnish with finishing oil and a little parmesan if you like.