medtran49
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Original recipe from Pasta Project.
Raw puntarelle tastes like celery light to me. Even though it seems like there is a lot of anchovy in this recipe, you don't taste them at all. I can't really describe the taste of the finished dish, but it was very tasty with a lot of umami depth. I would make this dish with Swiss chard if I couldn't find a puntarelle.
INGREDIENTS
400 g/14 oz homemade cavatelli pasta, 10 oz dried
400 g/14 oz puntarelle chicory, weight without the outer leaves
4 anchovy fillets (preserved in oil or salt) or 4 Tbsp anchovy paste from a tube
1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
100 g /3.5 oz breadcrumbs
200 g/7 oz burrata
Salt for pasta and to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, plus more as desired
DIRECTIONS
Prep the puntarelle: If you have bought a whole plant, you will have to remove all the outer leaves to get to the puntarelle, which are in the 'heart' of the plant. The outer leaves can also be cooked in something like minestrone, although they are quite bitter. Cut off a little of the bottom of the puntarelle and separate "shoots." The shoots are hollow so cut them in half lengthwise and slice very thinly. Peel the heart leaves off and set aside. Soak the cut shoots and leaves in some ice cold water for at least 15 minutes and drain well.
I chopped some of the shoots up for later use in a minestrone as there were a lot of shoots in the puntarelle I purchased.
When you are ready to cook, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add salt and bring to the boil again. Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet if you are using dried. If using fresh, it will take about 7-8 minutes.
Using a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp of EVOO on medium high, add the breadcrumbs and a couple of pinches of salt, stir well to distribute oil and allow to toast until a medium golden brown, stirring very frequently as the breadcrumbs will burn quickly. Remove from skillet into a bowl and set aside.
Heat 4 Tbsp EVOO in the skillet over medium heat and melt the anchovies into it, with the smashed garlic clove and the chilli pepper flakes if using.
Add the prepped puntarelle with the small heart leaves and let it cook for a few minutes, stirring continuously. If the mixture get too dry add a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water.
Drain the pasta and add to the puntarelle. I scooped it out with a spider. Add the breadcrumbs. Mix everything together over high heat.
Drain and cut the burrata into pieces. Add the burrata to the pasta but don't mix it in. Let the diner mix it in. Serve immediately.
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