4ozdried pastasuch as ziti or penne or 8 oz cooked pasta
1large clove garlicthinly sliced
1oz1 tablespoon anchovy fillets, chopped
2tablespoonscooking oil or light olive oil
2tablespoonsextra virgin olive oilplus more for serving
Pinchcrushed red pepper flakes
¼cuptomato sauceor a few handfuls of cherry tomatoes
Grated pecorino cheeseto taste
6ozpuntarelle or other bitter greens, cut into 1 inch pieces
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Puntarelle
Bring a pot of salted water for pasta to a boil. Blanch the chicory in the water for 3-4 minutes, or until just tender. Remove the chicory and drain.
Pasta
Heat the garlic and oils in a cold 10 pan on medium low heat. Cook until the garlic slices are golden, about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the anchovy and crushed red chili and stir.
Add the cooked chicory greens, mix, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the tomato sauce and mix to combine. Cover and cook on medium low heat until the greens are tender and taste good to you.
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, then drain, reserving some of the cooking water.
Add the pasta and a splash of pasta water to the pan with the puntarelle. Toss to combine and put back on the heat for a minute.
Serving
Season to taste with salt and chili until it tastes good to you. Divide the pasta between 2 heated serving bowls. Serve with grated pecorino cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Notes
Tossing with breadcrumbs
Another good version of this is similar to pasta Barrese. Instead of tomato, add ⅓ cup toasted breadcrumbs cooked in olive oil to the pasta to finish at the end.