Orecchiette with anchovies & purple sprouting broccoli

Although this has very few ingredients, the flavours of garlic, chilli and anchovy are a match made in pasta heaven and really pack a punch. They cling to the orecchiette, or ‘little ears’ beautifully. In Italy, it’s rare to see fish and cheese served together, so instead of dusting with parmesan, they serve this pasta dish with crispy fried breadcrumbs – it makes all the difference! Serves 2 Prep 10 mins Cook 15 mins

200g orecchiette

4 tbsp olive oil

6 anchovy fillets in oil, chopped

(reserve 1 tbsp of the oil)

4 fat garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 red chilli, thinly sliced 1 lemon, zested, plus juice of 1/2 50g fresh breadcrumbs

200g purple sprouting broccoli

1 Cook the orecchiette following pack instructions. Meanwhile, heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil and 1 tbsp of the oil from the anchovies in a frying pan. Add the garlic and chilli, and sizzle for 3-4 mins until the garlic is just starting to turn golden. Add the anchovies and lemon juice, and cook for 1-2 mins more until the anchovies melt into the sauce. Put the remaining olive oil, breadcrumbs and lemon zest in another frying pan, stir together and cook until crisp.

2 When the pasta has 4-5 mins to go, add the broccoli to the pan. When cooked, drain, reserving a cup of the pasta water, then add to the frying pan with the garlic and anchovies. Stir and cook over a low heat for a further 2 mins, adding a splash of pasta water if it looks dry. Season, then serve in pasta bowls with the lemony crumbs sprinkled over the top.

PER SERVING 624 kcals, fat 27g, saturates 4g,

carbs 76g, sugars 4g, fibre 6g, protein 21g, salt 1.5g

WHERE TO BUY

Many supermarkets now sell good quality, interesting pasta shapes.

Buy paccheri from Morrisons and Asda, fusilli lunghi from Waitrose & Partners or Tesco, and conchiglioni from Tesco. Orrechiette is available in most supermarkets and strozzapreti or casarecce can be found in Carluccio’s.