Orecchiette is one of my favourite pasta to make AND eat. This type of pasta is a staple in Basilicata – the southern region in Italy where my dad comes from. Needless to say, I’ve eaten quite a bit of this pasta over the years, and orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe continues to be my favourite pasta dish.
As with basically everything else, my mom was the one who taught me how to get this pasta shape right. So one day I decided to take a quick video so that she can teach all of you too! It takes a little bit of practice, but once you get it, you got it forever!
Orecchiette
Ingredients
- 400 g semolina flour
- 200 g water room temperature
Instructions
- Pour the flour into a large bowl or onto a wooden board.
- Create a well in the center of the flour.
- Slowly add water and incorporate it into the flour with your hands.
- Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 15-20 minutes.
- On a wooden board, cut a slice from the dough. Keep the rest of the dough covered.
- Roll the slice into a rope with about a ½ inch thickness.
- Cut the rope into ½ inch pieces.
- Using a knife and starting from the side of dough furthest away from you, press and drag the dough towards you. The dough should curl over the knife.
- Use your thumb and push through the center to invert the pasta inside out. See video above for reference.
- Drop the pasta into salted boiling water and cook until they rise to the top, about 3 minutes.
Notes
Storage Options:
Freezing – Leave the orecchiette individually lined on a tray and place in the freezer until they firm up, about a half hour. Then transfer them to a freezer bag to store.
Drying – Again leave the orecchiette individually lined on a tray and loosely place a dish towel over top. Leave them to dry overnight at room temperature. Once dried place them in any container or bag and store them at room temperature for up to 1 month.
Note: When cooking the pasta after storing them with either of these two methods, they will take a little longer to cook through!