Making Italian orecchiette with durum wheat flour let the pasta dough rest 15-20 min (someone says even 30 min) at room temperature, wrapped in foil or simply under an up-side down bowl: this will soften the dough and make easier to shape it. In place of anchovies, this dish also tastes great with spicy Italian sausage. The sausage and broccoli complement each other really well.

1. For the pasta dough:
Traditionally, orecchiette are made of nothing else but durum (hard) wheat flour, water and salt, but the original recipe ended up in what can only be described as a culinary catastrophe. So I tapped into trusted sources and picked a pasta recipe (including eggs!) I knew was working. I thoroughly kneaded all the ingredients on a wooden board turning it into a perfect dough ball, wrapped it in foil and kept it cool in the fridge for at least half an hour. (200 g/7 oz flour, Italian Type 00, 2 eggs, salt)
Step by step cut pieces from the dough, shape finger-sized rolls (~2cm/1″ in diameter). Slice rolls in ½cm/0.2″ thin slices, press a dent into each using your floured thumb. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to dry over night.

2. Bring large pot of water to a boil, add a generous pinch of salt and add the orecchiette. Wash the broccoli and cut it in small bite size pieces. Add them to the pot just before the pasta is done, the last 3 to 4 minutes should be sufficient. The exact time of course depends on the size of the orecchiette and isn’t easy to guess! My pasta took much longer than I thought (almost 13 minutes), consequently, the broccoli turned out a little too soft – on the other hand, the additional time helped to flavor the pasta.

3. Heat some olive oil in a large pan, add the chopped garlic, chilies and anchovies. Drain pasta and broccoli (save 2-3 tbsp of the salted water) and add them to the pan. Stir well, season with black pepper/sea salt and serve with grated Pecorino or Parmesan. Even though my orecchiette did not turn out perfect, homemade pasta is always a delight.

Enjoy!