Orecchiette with Rapini

This is a typical Pugliese recipe.

500 gr (1.1 lbs) Orecchiette
1.5 lbs of rapini
4 anchovies and hot pepper (or 6 of our Iacobini caper and anchovy stuffed hot peppers)
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup of good extra virgin olive oil

Clean the rapini and remove some of the leaves and rough stems. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. (It is best to use coarse sea salt). Throw the orecchiette into the pot. After five minutes add the rapini vegetable to the pot of boiling pasta. (Save some water to add later if the pasta is dry.) Meanwhile, in a separate pan saute the garlic in the olive oil with the hot peppers and anchovies (or caper and anchovy stuffed hot peppers). Remove the garlic before it browns and take sauce off flame. When the orecchiette are done, drain the pasta and saute briefly together with the sauce in the pan. Serve immediately. Serves six.