orecchiette with broccoli, olives and ricotta salata

olive nelle orecchiette con broccoli e ricotta

TOTAL TIME: 60 minutes

MAKES: 4 servings

Orecchiette (the name means "little ears" in Italian) is the perfect pasta choice for hearty, chunky sauces like this one. The slightly chewy, concave disks hold up to the bold flavors of the broccoli and olives while cradling the ingredients so you get lots of flavor with every bite.

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Ingredients

4 black Cerignola olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped carrot
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 (14-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
1 cup water
4 green Cerignola olives, pitted and roughly chopped
14 Gaeta olives, pitted and roughly chopped
Fine sea salt
5 cups 1/2-inch-wide broccoli florets (from 1 1/3 pounds)
1 pound orecchiette
3/4 cup freshly grated ricotta salata cheese

Instructions

In a wide heavy saucepan, combine black Cerignola olives, oil, celery, carrot and shallot. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1 cup water; bring liquid to a simmer, then add green Cerignola olives and 1/2 of the Gaeta olives. Reduce heat to low and cook until sauce is flavorful and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 35 minutes. Remove sauce from heat.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccoli and cook for 2 minutes, then add orecchiette and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is just al dente. Reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid, drain pasta and broccoli, then immediately add to olive mixture; stir together, then add pasta cooking liquid and 1/2 teaspoon salt; stir to combine. Serve immediately, sprinkled with remaining Gaeta olives and cheese, and drizzled with oil.

April 2011