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Orecchiette recipe – make your own ear-shaped pasta
Fresh orecchiette is a delicious type of pasta from Puglia. Here you will find an orecchiette recipe with step-by-step instructions and learn how to make them quickly and easily. As with all homemade pasta, it's quicker and even more fun with a second or even third person.
Schritt für Schritt durch´s Rezept
- Step 1Pile the durum wheat semolina into a mound on a work surface. Form a hollow in the middle, add a little water and the salt. Start kneading and gradually work in the rest of the water until you have a smooth and elastic dough. If the dough is still too hard, add water drop by drop (really drop by drop) until the consistency is smooth and elastic, but no longer sticky.
- Step 2Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 60 minutes.
- Step 3After the resting time, cut a piece the size of an egg from the dough and shape it into a finger-thick roll.
- Step 4Cut the roll into 1-2 cm pieces that look like small cushions.
- Step 5Place the rounded end of the knife against the upper end of a cushion, tilt the knife to an angle of 30° and pull the knife towards you.
- Step 6Then take the resulting noodle, place it on your index finger and turn it over so that the rough side is on top. Do not pull too hard on the edges when turning it over so that the side that has just been roughened does not become smooth again.
- Step 7Place the orecchietta on baking paper to dry and start on the next one.
What are orecchiette actually?
Orecchiette translates as “little ears”, as the small, relatively thick pasta has a round, slightly recessed shape reminiscent of little ears. Orecchiette can be traced back to the Middle Ages. They are particularly at home in the Apulia region, especially in the provinces of Bari and Brindisi. Making them is often an intergenerational ritual in Apulian families. It is common for grandmothers and mothers to pass on the technique of handcrafting to their children and grandchildren.
Cooking homemade orrechiette
You only need to cook the fresh orecchiette in plenty of salted water for about 3-5 minutes. Fresh pasta takes less time than dried pasta. The exact time depends on the thickness of the orecchiette. Taste after 3 minutes to see if they are al dente (with a bite).
How to dry orecchiette
Dry the pasta in a well-ventilated, dry and cool room. Place the orecchiette in a single layer on a clean, dry cotton cloth or on baking trays lined with parchment paper. Make sure that the pieces of pasta do not touch each other. We needed 4 baking trays to dry the dough for this recipe.
Leave the orecchiette to dry like this for 24 to 48 hours. The pasta will be hard and brittle when it is completely dry. To ensure that the orecchiette dries evenly, you can turn it once after 12 hours.
The pasta can now be stored for several months in airtight containers or zip-lock bags.
The orecchiette recipe works with the right ingredients
Authentic orecchiette can only be made with Italian durum wheat semolina, called semola di grano duro rimacinata. It is ground finer than normal German durum wheat semolina, but still coarser than flour. This special degree of grinding ensures a smooth texture and the characteristic consistency of the orecchiette. Semola rimacinata also gives the pasta its typical rough surface, which absorbs sauces better.
How to serve orecchiette
Orecchiette are traditionally served with various sauces in Puglia. You can find them with ragù (Bolognese) or mixed with fresh tomato sauce and ricotta.
However, the most famous combination is certainly “Orecchiette con le cime di rapa”. The pasta is mixed with Apulian stem cabbage, garlic, anchovies, peperoncino and olive oil. If you can’t find cime di rapa in the store, you can replace the cabbage with broccoli.
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