Metric:
130gr Water
125gr Durum Flour
125gr All-Purpose Flour
8gr Olive Oil
Recipes > Italian Recipes > Italian First Course Recipes > Italian Orecchiette Recipes
TRADITIONAL ITALIAN RECIPE: When I first tasted handmade orecchiette in the Apulia region of southern Italy, I had an epiphany, one of those moments when you know you’re tasting "the real thing".
As soon as I bit into one of the irregularly shaped rounds (orecchiette means “little ears” in Italian), I was hooked. The slightly chewy disks were the perfect foil to the robust sauce they were tossed in. Fortunately, orecchiette (pronounced or-eh-KYEH-tay) are simple to make.
The dough needs hard flour and-surprise-warm water. New Yorkers... you can't make it!
( ^ . ^ )
Like people, pasta varieties are products of their environment. Just as the fertile Italian region of Emilia-Romagna has provided the world with rich tortellini, the more rugged Apulia has given us orecchiette.
Unlike most homemade pastas, which contain eggs, orecchiette are made from just flour and water. The lack of eggs and the use of semolina flour, which is harder than white flour, contribute to the pasta’s pleasingly firm bite.
The dough is made like any other pasta dough, by shaping the flour into a well, putting the liquid in the middle, and very gradually working in the flour with your fingers or a fork.
The water has to be warm to let the dough develop more gluten in the flour, making it very elastic.
Orecchiette are easy to shape, but each “ear” must be shaped individually. Do you know what "wind erosion" means? Ok, that's how long it takes to shape orecchiette for 4 people.
The dough dries quickly, so work with one piece at a time, keeping the rest covered with a towel or plastic wrap.
Skill Level: ![]() |
Time: 60 Minutes |
Price: ![]() |
Serves: 4 People |
Ingredients:
Conversions |
Directions:
01 - Combine the 2 type of Flours in a bowl. mix with a fork and transfer to a work surface.
02 - Make the classic volcano shape in the Flour and add the Water, little by little, while kneading.
03 - Add the Olive Oil kneading until the dough is smooth.
04 - Cling wrap the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes.
05 - Cut a small ball of dough out and roll it into a rope, keeping the main dough wrapped.
( Read Notes for alternative shaping moteds )
06 - Cut the dough rope into 1cm / 0.5in pieces.
07 - Using your fingers, a spoon or a knife, give each piece the classic shell shape. Then, turn them inside out, placing them on a floured surface. Don't make the shells too thin.
08 - Cook the Orecchiette Pasta in salted water for about 5-10 minutes.
Notes:
- The Orecchiette Pasta can be stored in the fridge for about 4 days, or in the freezer for 2 month.
- The drier they are, the longer they'll need to be cook.
- To shape the Orecchiette you can also cut a small chunk of Dough and use a sharp knife to flat it. Scroll the knife down putting pressure on it with your index finger and then lift it opposite over your thumb to form a cap. It takes some practice.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Written by: Uncut Recipes | Disclaimer |
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: |
LATEST RECIPES: |