It’s worth seeking out orecchiette in the piles of pasta shapes in good food stores, but it takes longer to cook than other small pasta shapes (about 20 to 25 min). Not that you have to have it, as this dish with its chilli-spiked, pesto-coated broccoli and potatoes would work with any short pasta.

Serves 4 Prep

10min Cook

40min

200g waxy potatoes, peeled and diced
500g broccoli, finely sliced
400g orecchiette or small tube pasta
2tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 small red chilli, seeded and chopped
1tbsp pesto
2 tbsp grated parmesan or pecorino

METHOD

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cook the potato for 10 min until tender, then remove. Add the broccoli and cook for 5 min or until tender. Remove, add the pasta and cook until tender (20 to 25 min if orecchiette).

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the garlic and chilli and cook for 1 min. Add the potatoes, broccoli and pesto, tossing well, then add a dash of the cooking water. Drain the pasta, toss with the broccoli, scatter with parmesan and serve.

Times Recommends

• How to season a wok
• Chicago Rib Shack hits back at its critics
• Gordon Ramsay: Indian barbecue