𝗢𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗶 𝗥𝗮𝗽𝗮 was the first dish of the Puglian cannon I ever learned back in the early 1990’s just when broccoli raab (or rapini) was just coming on the California market. Broccoli raab is not exactly the same thing as cime di rapa but it is forgivably close, in the United States the only way you ever find Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa is with rapini/brocolli raab. Cime di Rapa means “tops of turnips” or the green leafy bits along with young flower buds. It’s one of my favorite pasta dishes and I pride myself in making it well but after visiting Lecce my version was demoted to number two. ⁣
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The greens provide an earthy, slightly bitter taste balanced by garlic, olive oil, and a hint of chili. Often, anchovies are added for umami, and breadcrumbs are toasted to mimic cheese, which wasn’t always available to the poorer households who invented this dish. This pasta is on every menu in Lecce and surely throughout all of Puglia, and when planning this trip I figured it would be the first thing I ate, instead it was the last of my Lecce meals. ⁣⁣