The orecchiette is a traditional ear-shaped pasta from Apulia: its particular shape together with the rough texture pairs well with any type of sauce! Find this and many more recipes with pictures on the Giallozafferano App (in English) http://itunes.apple.com/app/giallozafferano-recipes/id384387249?mt=8
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The orecchiette is a traditional ear-shaped pasta from Apulia: strictly handmade, they are round and concave, with the centre thinner than the edge and a rough surface, about ¾ inch in diameter. Let’s make it from scratch!
We’ll need:
1 cup (125 g) of durum flour
1 cup (125 g) of all-purpose flour
½ cup (130 g) of water
½ tbsp (8 g) of olive oil
Start with the dough: combine the 2 flours in a bowl, transfer to a work surface, make an indentation in the middle and add a little water at a time while kneading. Then add the oil and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and soft, and form into a ball… wrap in cling film and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes, so that it becomes elastic.
After such time, take a piece of dough and roll into a rope, not too thin. Keep the rest of the dough wrapped in cling film, to avoid drying out. Cut the rope into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces, more or less. With the tip of a butter knife, drag each piece of dough over the pastry board so that it takes the shape of a shell. Now turn the shell inside out over your thumb. Arrange the orecchiette on a cloth or on the floured pastry board and allow to dry a bit.
Cook in boiling salted water for about 7-8 minutes. The orecchiette can be stored in the fridge for about 4 days. The longer they dry, the longer they will need to cook, of course.
If you want to freeze the orecchiette, space them out on a tray and place in the freezer. Once frozen, you can transfer to a freezer bag and store for up to 2 months.