Orecchiette
Fermented Rapini, Sausage, Ricotta
Orecchiette is the pasta shape of Puglia (Apulia) a region that is engrained in agriculture that helps keep the entire country fed. From those agricultural roots, also comes a very humble gastronomic tradition rooted in humble ingredients with big flavors. These “little ears” - which are often created by hand in Puglia are frequently paired with sausage and rapini (hands down one of the biggest flavored vegetables) to make one of the more classic pasta dishes of Italy.
The classic is one of my all-time favorite recipes, so I wanted to make sure I paid tribute to it while rethinking how it could be made. Since rapini (broccoli rabe) is the star of this dish, I wanted to further enhance the bitter flavors through fermentation. And then by turning that into a pesto I could coat every single pasta with the flavor that makes the original so popular. I’m not kidding when I say the pesto is so good you will want to eat it on it’s own with a spoon. The addition of ricotta at the end, is to bring a little creaminess to the party and cut through some of the bitterness and funk of the fermented rapini.
Servings: 4 - Time: 7-10 day fermentation - 20 mins. recipe - Difficulty: 2 - Take-a Your Time
Ingredients & Mise en Place
16 oz. orecchiette
2 bunches rapini (broccoli rabe) - chopped into 1-inch pieces - stems and flowers
1 lb. vegetarian sausage - cut into ¼ inch medallions - can substitute regular italian sausage
ricotta cheese
anchovy paste - (optional) - but can substitute with worstershire sauce or an anchovy filet or two
3 cloves of garlic - diced small
¼ cup grated pecorino romano
crushed red pepper - (optional)
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
pepper
Equipment
16 oz. mason jar with lid - sterilized
Directions
Pesto
Fermentation sounds hard but it’s actually really easy and can completely transform an ingredient. So be brave, this is going to be fun and tasty.
Place the rapini and garlic in a mixing bowl and mix with 3.5 tablespoons of sea salt and two teaspoons of anchovy paste. Once mixed and coated, let it sit for 15 minutes to draw out some moisture and make the vegetable a little more pliable. After resting, pack all of the rapini into the mason jar and fill the jar with water. Cover and place in a warm spot of your kitchen for 7 days, but not in sunlight.
Important! Burp your jar every day. Fermentation is a product of biology, and while good bacterias begin to cultivate so will some gases, if you don’t burp the jar you will create a hand grenade in your kitchen.
Once you have fermented the rapini for seven days, give it a taste. It should be a funkier, more bitter, and salty version of the vegetable. If your rapini tastes rancid or shows any signs of mold, do not proceed.
Pour the rapini into a fine mesh strainer to remove all the water. Then move the rapini to a food processor or blender and add ½ cup olive oil. Blend until you have a paste. Add the olive oil little by little until you have a pesto consistency you prefer. It should have transitioned into a viscous sauce and no longer thick. Next transfer to a bowl or container until you are ready to use. This pesto will stay fresh for about another week in the fridge.
Pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling add the orecchiette and cook until al dente - for orecchiette this takes about 9 minutes.
While the pasta cooks, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add your sausage medallions and brown on both sides. If you like your sausage a little spicier, you can add crushed red pepper to taste.
Strain the pasta and add to the pan with the sausage. Add in the pesto one spoonful at a time - you will probably use most of what you have made at this time, but continue to taste and until each pasta is coated. Add in pecorino romano and stir to finish. Serve with a spoonful of ricotta, fresh cracked pepper, and some fresh herbs (if you like.)