Orecchiette

I usually keep away from making shaped pasta, if only because I love using my pasta maker to cut. We recently discovered orecciette, (little ears in Italian, apparently) an easy to make and easier to form pasta. Give it a try, its a great break from spaghetti.



Adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fresh-Semolina-Orecchiette-10610

1 cups semolina (fancy Italian flour, you can just double the regular flower if you want)
1 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup lukewarm water

In a large bowl stir together semolina and flour and form a well in center. Add water and a generous pinch of salt to well and with a fork gradually incorporated semolina mixture until a dough is formed (some of the mixture will not be incorporated). Knead adding flower until the dough is smooth. I had about a quarter cup of flower left over. Divide dough into 4 pieces and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Let rest at room temp for up to an hour.


Remove plastic wrap from 1 piece of dough and roll between you hands to create a rope 1/2 inch wide. Mine came out to be around 10-12 inches.

Put rope on a work surface and with a sharp knife cut into 1/2-inch pieces, separating pieces as cut so they are no longer touching. Put each cut piece of dough, a cut side down, in palm of hand and form a depression by pressing thumb of other hand into dough and twisting slightly. Toss the little ears into the bowl with the remaining flower.

Cook in a boiling pot of salted water for 8-12 minutes, until cooked through. We had these with broccoli rabe and olive oil, and it was wonderful, even if it wasn't very photogenic.