Semolina Rustic Pasta with broad beans and broccoli. While wandering through our Italy, among recipes and words, today I want to present you this main dish eaten in Matera. A simple pasta made with durum wheat semolina, broccoli, and peeled broad beans. A main course that speaks for itself in its simplicity, telling the story of its people. I had been wanting to visit Matera for many years and took the opportunity in 2023, as I reached 100, which is my 40 years of marriage and 60 years of age. So, we set off, my husband and I, and with our Matiz, we departed, as I always say, in search of our roots. From Piedmont, our current region of residence, passing through Emilia-Romagna, Lugo to be precise, my husband’s birthplace, we then arrived in Calabria, my homeland. We didn’t use the highway but crossed internal Italy via small provincial roads: We experienced real Italian passion; the people, places, food. Matera was one of the stops.
This dish somewhat recalls Basilicata and somewhat Apulia. I’ve always consumed dried beans; we used to dry them ourselves when we had a large garden. Broccoli are never missing during the winter, and fresh pasta has always been my passion.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 2 Hours
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
Pasta, broccoli, anchovies, and broad beans.
- 14 oz semolina pasta
- 10.5 oz dried broad beans (peeled)
- 10.5 oz broccoli
- 3 anchovies (Desalted and cleaned)
- 2 tbsps raisins
- 1 bunch fresh spring onions
- to taste salt
- to taste olive oil
- 1 chili pepper
- to taste wild fennel (A few young sprigs)
Tools
Pot for pasta, pot for broad beans, pan for seasoning and finishing the pasta, immersion blender.
- Pots
- Pans
- Blenders
Steps
It seems like a complicated dish, but it only requires a few steps.
First, wash the broad beans. In a large pot, sauté onion and a chili pepper, add the broad beans and water to cover them, season with salt, and cook. It will take about an hour and a half.
In the meantime, prepare the pasta: cut into sticks then into small pieces, passed over a gnocchi board to create curls.
In a separate pot, cook the broccoli.
While the broccoli are cooking, in a pan with a little oil, sauté the sliced spring onions, with all the green, anchovies, wild fennel, and raisins.
Drain the excess liquid from the broad beans, keeping it aside, and blend them; add the liquid if necessary.
Cook the pasta together with the broccoli and add it to the seasoning; mix carefully and serve.
You will present the dish with a base of hot broad bean puree and the pasta in the center. It is a truly exquisite first course, rich in flavor.
You will be surprised and amazed.
Fresh pasta can be frozen if necessary. If you don’t consume everything, it can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days: The broad bean puree is also excellent with other vegetables, sausages, or baked.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I use another type of pasta?
Of course, I would choose a rustic pasta. Excellent choices are orecchiette or corkscrew fusilli.
Instead of broccoli?
Turnip tops or chicory.
