Don’t Mess With Texture

This simple pasta dish is all about textures--crisp-tender broccoli rabe, slightly chewy orecchiette, crunchy garlic bread crumbs and creamy ricotta cheese, which melts into a sauce.

When buying broccoli rabe, broccoli’s peppery cousin, look for slender, dark green stalks with tightly closed flower heads. Bow-tie pasta (farfalle) or penne would make a good substitute for orecchiette if you can’t find this little ear-shaped pasta.

Don’t be afraid to season this dish assertively with salt and hot pepper flakes and follow it with something light, like fresh fruit, for dessert.

Orecchiette With Broccoli Rabe and Garlic Bread Crumbs

Active Work Time: 20 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes

PASTA

Salt

1 (1-pound) bunch broccoli rabe

3/4 pound dried orecchiette

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup water

1 cup ricotta cheese

Garlic Bread Crumbs

* Bring a large pot of well-salted water to boil. Trim the ends of the broccoli rabe stalks and slice any thick stalks in half lengthwise. Cut the stalks on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces (with the leaves attached). Boil the pasta according to the package directions until al dente, about 10 minutes.

* Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the garlic and pepper flakes until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Avoid browning the garlic. Add the broccoli rabe, 1 teaspoon salt, lemon juice and 1/4 cup water. Cook, stirring frequently, until the broccoli is just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

* Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of cooking water. Add the cooked pasta to the broccoli rabe in the skillet and stir in the ricotta cheese. Add most of the cooking water to moisten, using all of it if needed. Serve with Garlic Bread Crumbs sprinkled on top.

GARLIC BREAD CRUMBS

8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices day-old Italian-style bread, crusts trimmed

1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 or 2 cloves garlic

* Brush the bread lightly with oil. Place the slices on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees, turning the slices over midway through baking time, until they’re golden brown, about 15 minutes. Rub both sides of the toasted slices with a garlic clove.

* Grind the bread in a food processor or seal it in a plastic bag and crush it into crumbs with a rolling pin. Sprinkle over the pasta before serving.

4 servings. Each serving: 741 calories; 894 mg sodium; 31 mg cholesterol; 31 grams fat; 92 grams carbohydrates; 25 grams protein; 2.45 grams fiber.

MENU

Orecchiette With Broccoli Rabe and Garlic Bread Crumbs

Fresh Fruit

GAME PLAN

30 minutes before: Bring water to boil for pasta. Heat oven for bread crumbs. Trim broccoli rabe.

25 minutes before: Slice bread and brush with oil.

20 minutes before: Toast bread.

15 minutes before: Saute garlic and pepper flakes. Cook pasta.

5 minutes before: Rub bread with garlic. Drain pasta, add to broccoli rabe and toss with ricotta.

Just before serving: Top pasta with bread crumbs.

INGREDIENTS

SHOPPING LIST

Broccoli rabe

Fresh fruit

Italian-style bread

Orecchiette

Ricotta cheese

STAPLES

Garlic

Lemon

Olive oil

Red pepper flakes