Pasta with broccoli, anchovies and fried breadcrumbs — did you know that in Sicily “mollica” is breadcrumbs and that when fried it becomes “muddica atturrata“? This is one of the many broccoli recipes you can find on my blog, together with the Sicilian broccoli scacciata and the sausage and braised broccoli recipe.
So, should this recipe be called “pasta with broccoli, anchovies and breadcrumbs“? Actually no: this is pasta with broccoli and “muddica atturrata” (not “muddrica“, as I have sadly read many times!). And anchovies and broccoli in Sicilian — how do we call them? “anciovi” and “vrocculi”, right? As for pronunciation, we would need a good diction course! 🙂
All jokes aside, the pasta with braised broccoli, anchovies and toasted breadcrumbs is a simple dish from Sicilian cuisine and grandmother’s recipes, made slightly differently in every family but always delicious — think of Pasta c’anciova e muddica atturrata or Pasta with sardines and wild fennel Sicilian-style.
But do you know what “muddica atturrata” is? Simply put, it’s breadcrumbs fried or rather toasted in a drizzle of oil and by tradition it represents the poor man’s cheese. Of course: when cheese belonged to the landowner or the noble, poor people and peasants could only eat the fake cheese, flavored with anchovies… And do you know why it’s called “atturrata”? Because when toasted, the “mollica” turns dark just like the dark Sicilian nougat, i.e. “atturrunata”.
So many strange terms, but every region has its wonderful dialect that varies from province to province, just like its cuisine. These terms are used in the Catania area, but know that regardless of the words or ingredient names, in Sicily you eat wonderfully everywhere!
Now it’s time to run to the kitchen and prepare pasta with broccoli and muddica atturrata, a dish as simple as it is tasty! Ready? Here is the recipe, and before you run to the stove, remember that if you want to follow my recipes you can follow my Facebook page and my Instagram profile.
Take a look:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 6 1/2 cups broccoli
- 13 oz pasta
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- anchovy (fillets in oil or salted)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2/3 cup breadcrumbs
- to taste black pepper (or chili pepper)
Tools
- 2 Pots
- 1 Frying pan
Steps
To prepare this dish, start by cleaning the broccoli. Separate the florets from each other, remove the fibrous and tougher parts with a knife, rinse them under running water and wash them well.
Peel the two garlic cloves and remove the green shoot, put them in a heavy-bottomed pot, add a good splash of oil and gently brown them.
Add 4-5 anchovy fillets and immediately cover the pot—the oil may splatter everywhere. Move the pot off the heat and, as soon as the sizzling stops, lift the lid.
Remove the garlic, flake the anchovies with a wooden spoon, add the broccoli florets, stir and return the pot to the heat. Let them braise over low heat for about 30 minutes or until they’re so soft they fall apart with a fork.
Turn up the heat, adjust salt and pepper, let everything brown for a few minutes and set aside.
Cook the pasta and drain it al dente, mix it with the broccoli and add a bit of the cooking water to make it more moist and creamy.
Plate and sprinkle with the toasted breadcrumbs.
To fry the breadcrumbs and make Sicilian-style toasted breadcrumbs (muddica atturrata), brown the remaining anchovies with a drizzle of oil, being careful of splatters, break them up and add the breadcrumbs. Toast them over medium heat, stirring often; once they’re browned, turn off the heat.
I recommend doing this step while the broccoli is cooking—it only takes a few minutes and everything will be ready when it’s time to serve.
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