November 8th
2006
Pasta shapes are always a temptation for food shoppers, they sure are to me. Whenever I spot a new package, a new type or shape, I feel intrigued to immediately see how I can make use them. But remember, most traditional pasta shapes are not (only) designed to be pure eye candy but are transporting (literally) the taste, supporting the sauce they work best with. Form follows function, if you will.
Who knows how many different pasta shapes are out there, it’s difficult to guess too, as there is no definitive list nor any sort of standardization – manufacturers can and do add further shapes from time to time. Hundreds? Probably, but not to worry, they can easily be broken down into basic types and moreover, oftentimes very similar shapes just have different names:
Solid, string pasta (e.g. spaghetti, vermicelli)
Ribbons (e.g. tagliatelle, linguine)
Spiral pasta (e.g. fusilli, gemelli)
Tubular pasta (e.g. penne, macaroni, rigatoni)
Small decorative shapes (e.g. farfalle, orecchiette)
Ready-stuffed pasta (le.g. ravioli, tortellini)
Many pasta shapes are interchangeable, here are a few general tips:
Light sauces go well with smaller pastas and thinner strands (e.g. angel hair, vermicelli)
Hearty vegetable, meat sauces or salads require more robust pasta (e.g. penne, casarecci, farfalle)
Creamy sauces are a good match for curly, twisted shapes (e.g. fusilli, gemelli)
Most of the basic shapes come in multiple sizes, and as a general tip, go with a size that allows to scoop up the chunks in your sauce. I doubt you’d end up in a disaster when not choosing the perfect shape for your sauce, but I do believe it makes a difference in a recipe and could give it a whole new look.
Lasagne sheets, linguine, papardelle or ravioli, the usual suspects if it comes to home made pasta – been there done that. I was up for something new and exciting. Orecchiette – Puglia’s traditional ear-shaped pasta! Although I tried, I failed miserably at making the pasta dough based on hard wheat. No idea why things went awry, a second attempt with a familiar recipe, including eggs, actually made the making of orecchiette – all of a sudden – look a lot easier than it really is. The ease of making pasta was nicely demonstrated on a recent fantastic documentary about southern Italy, showing old women in the tiny streets of Bari producing huge amounts of this typical Pugliese pasta, virtually effortlessly. Well, not quite there yet, mine turned out a little too large after cooking (orecchi grandi so to speak). Orecchiette con cime di rapa, the recipe I had in mind, unfortunately had to be dismissed, simply due to the fact that broccoli rabe wasn’t available anywhere I looked for it. Instead, I took the best of various other traditional Italian orecchiette recipes I found online and improvised a bit.
Funny enough, now that we’ve gained our own experience in making orecchiette, it’d be interesting to see how they’re prepared “properly” on our upcoming trip to the the heel of Italy, Puglia, following an invitation to attend a food conference organized by Oldways. More to follow – upon our return!
For the pasta dough: Traditionally, orecchiette are made of nothing else but durum (hard) wheat flour, water and salt, but the original recipe ended up in what can only be described as a culinary catastrophe. So I tapped into trusted sources and picked a pasta recipe (including eggs!) I knew was working. I thoroughly kneaded all the ingredients on a wooden board turning it into a perfect dough ball, wrapped it in foil and kept it cool in the fridge for at least half an hour. (200 g/7 oz flour, Italian Type 00, 2 eggs, salt)
Step by step cut pieces from the dough, shape finger-sized rolls (~2cm/1″ in diameter). Slice rolls in ½cm/0.2″ thin slices, press a dent into each using your floured thumb. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to dry over night.
Bring large pot of water to a boil, add a generous pinch of salt and add the orecchiette. Wash the broccoli and cut it in small bite size pieces. Add them to the pot just before the pasta is done, the last 3 to 4 minutes should be sufficient. The exact time of course depends on the size of the orecchiette and isn’t easy to guess! My pasta took much longer than I thought (almost 13 minutes), consequently, the broccoli turned out a little too soft – on the other hand, the additional time helped to flavor the pasta.
Heat some olive oil in a large pan, add the chopped garlic, chilies and anchovies. Drain pasta and broccoli (save 2-3 tbsp of the salted water) and add them to the pan. Stir well, season with black pepper/sea salt and serve with grated Pecorino or Parmesan. Even though my orecchiette did not turn out perfect, homemade pasta is always a delight ;)
Orecchiette (almost) alla pugliese
Recipe source: a mix of various on- and offline sources
orecchiette: ~1,5 hours plus drying over night, cooking: 20min.
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Ingredients (serves 2-3):
250g fresh Orecchiette (200 g/7 oz flour, Italian Type 00, 2 eggs, salt)
one mid-sized broccoli
3-4 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red chili, chopped
2-4 anchovies, chopped
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
to serve: freshly grated Pecorino or Parmesan
Orecciette is my favorite! I just love how they feel in my mouth. I had some of the best house-made at Lupa (one of the Batali restaurants) in NYC last week... oh my it was good. I'd love to try these, although my pastas always seem to come out too heavy and thick.
What a gorgeous post on pasta! Absolutely beautiful. Your recipe looks great and I'll have to try it!
I remember a specific dish with orecchiette, on my honeymoon in Kennebunkporte, my wife and I had dinner at this great Italian place there and I had this lobster and orecchiette pasta dish with a vodka pasta sauce, it was unbelievable!
This looks good... I really should try making pasta one day.
I can't vote in the poll though, you didn't include twisted pasta and I almost always buy fusilli - although I did get some tagliatelle recently and am enjoying having something that's quite different to my usual pasta stock.
So informative and looks so easy to make!
Looks amazing.
looks great! I love those little ears!
Orecchiette con cime di rapa, one of my favorite pasta! Sometimes you can find cime di rapa in Viktualienmarkt and I have even seen it in "Metro" once, as well. Try to eat the original in Puglia, you'll love it! Or with ricotta. Also "tiella", a dish with potatoes and either mussels or baccalá.
PS: the little italian in me is whispering "maccheroni" and "pappardelle", sorry, I can't shut her up...
My mummy born in Puglia and she prefer the orecchiette whit hard flour (type O) and any egg (she sad "le uova sono per i ricchi"...eggs are for rich).
I love your blog...recipe are great.
Bye Barbara
I am, as always, so impressed with your culinary adventures. Your orecchiette look lovely! They're not the easiest to make...
I dream of making these at home! You are a constant source of inspiration!
Even though they turned out a little larger than you wanted...they look terrific and I'm sure they tasted just as good. I actually just bought some of these at the market and I'm looking forward to using them up. Next time I should try my hand at making them!
Ciao ! I'm used the read your blog and today, surprise ! You're talking my region of adoption: Apulia ! Great post !
That's beautiful! I love the combination of garlic, broccoli and anchovy. Your blog is so enjoyable :->
Making orecchiette with durum wheat flour let the pasta dough rest 15-20 min. (someone says even 30 min) at room temperature, wrapped in foil or simply under an up-side down bowl: this will soften the dough and make easier to shape it.
Thanks for leaving the recipe. The photos you took are beautiful. I think what I've always liked best about orechiette is that it translates as "little ears" in Italian. Somehow that is both charming and disturbing to think about as you eath it. I can't wait to test the recipe out on my own!
Uh...meant to say "eat it" in my last post, instead of "eath it". Not sure what "eath it" means....
For the longest time, capellini [angel hair] was my absolute favorite pasta. But I got tired of it clumping together all the time--I try to avoid rinsing pasta, as the starch helps sauces cling to it [also why not to add oil to your pasta as it cooks]. Then recently I tried two things that make it work. First, using capellini with simple sauces like veggies sautéed in olive oil. When you toss everything together, the oil helps separate the strands of pasta. And second, breaking down and rinsing capellini when I'm using it with a red sauce or cream sauce. It works, and I get to enjoy the wonderful, delicate mouthfeel of this lovely pasta.
In place of anchovies, this dish also tastes great with spicy Italian sausage. The sausage and brocolli complement each other really well.
Hey, i love your site and especially your photos. How do you get those great pictures? Do you have a photostudio in your kitchen or is it just perfect light in your rooms? Any tips would be welcome :) thanks alot
Jonathan
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Kitchenqueen & Spülkönig
Testing, I just submitted a comment but it went missing?! Perhaps it's just that I am really a newbie?!
May I say (as others before me) that pasta is made with durum wheat flour?
On Italian pasta packages you can always read "semola di grano duro".
00 flour is used for bread (not in every region, since in many Southern region bread is made with durum wheat as well) and cakes, but not for pasta...
This is a delicious recipe & really, only orecchiette will suffice. I love how the sauce sits inside the pasta. It's a family favorite.
Cheers,
Heather
In Puglia, as you're probably experiencing right now, they make orecchiette with just durum wheat flour, water and salt. No 00 flour, especially since Puglia is one of Italy's biggest producers of durum wheat. Plain 00 flour is more for the "Northeners". And shaping goes in a totally different way, usually with a rounded knife. Enjoy Puglia and her fantastisc cuisine, definitely one of my favourites (I grew up in Bari). Ciao, N.
What a terrific site! Happy Cooking!
your orechiette sure look gorgeous, a pity I can't / won't eat pasta :-)
***Hi everyone and sorry for the delay in our response to your comments, we've just returned from a wonderful trip to Puglia! More about it coming up soon...
Barbara, Thanks for the kind feedback! We just returned from this lovely region and even got the chance to watch an old lady produce the real Orecchiette (without eggs). Next time it'll be an egg-less recipe!
jujuly25, Great region indeed! We had a wonderful time there, good food, shared with great people and even sunny weather. More soon ;)
p, I'll take your advice to heart for my next attempt! Thanks!
Terry, You got it, the mouthfeel of the different pasta is half of the fun! I haven't used angel hair that much, so I don't have any recipe tips to share so far.
Jonathan, I guess we are blessed with decent light in our kitchen, because we don't use any additional light sources. But with the winter season approaching fast, it may become difficult to shoot again... Our credo: daylight near windows, good macro lens, simple backgrounds, always tripods, no artificial lighting. And don't get carried away - or you'll end up quickly with a cold meal... ;)
Nicoletta, we've just returned from a trip to Bari (region & city) two days ago! We did get the chance to watch an experienced lady produce Orecchiette, wow she was fast! Inspired by her abilities, the next time I try to make them myself, I'll stick with the original recipe!
This is beautiful! I've seen Giada DiLaurentiis use orecchiette on her show and I think she said the word means, "little ears." I thought that was cute. :)
[...] 08.11.06: Bei delicious days werden frische Orecciette gebastelt [...]
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Hi all, I'm Marisa, italian from Puglia , your blog is very beautiful and fantastic.My city is Taranto near Bari. I like orecchiette with tomato's sauce ( ragu' ).
I have always found rigatoni my favourite versatile pasta style, allowing me the ability to accidentally trap slices of sweet capsicum in the centers.
Orecchiette are my favorite pasta. I've made them as well with Italian "00" flour and durum semolina (without eggs). Once I'm going to try your recipe and to make them only with semolina.
I too love orechiette. I love it with peas, vidalia onions & pecorino romano in the spring time...wonderful & simple!
Great job your orecchiette, especially for someone who's not Italian!
My moher-in-law makes orechiette by rolling the dough into a sausage. With a rounded tip knife she then cuts the dough and with a flourish and a quick smear against the wooden cutting board a perfect orechietta appears like magic. She does all this without looking at the dough and chatting at the same time. She is so fast that you'd need to capture her on film and watch her in slow-motion to catch her technique. I've tried it myself and only produced ugly squashed discs....but then my mom-in-la is old world Barese (i.e. from Bari), a southern Italian mom like Fellini could only dream up, so I don't feel too bad. Her orrechiette are very slightly thinner and the tiniest bit more bowl shaped: all the better to trap sauce with...
By the way, the brocoli or rabe IS cooked till quite soft so that it forms an almost creamy sauce redolent with garlic and anchovy and bits of veggie. Your photo showing the orechiette like little bowls cupping the green sauce captures the spirit of the dish perfectly.
[...] Friday, November 10, 2006 Food: Chow talks about a new no-knead method of baking bread that is given the thumbs up by Harold McGee and turns out to actually be a very, very old method. Ugly Green Chair introduces me to the Ginger Rogers (mint, ginger syrup, fresh lime juice, gin, and ginger ale) by way of Daily Candy. Oh thank you. Peanut Butter Popcorn at The Kitchen. Orecchiette at Delicious Days. Best Buttermilk Pancakes at Bakingsheet. [...]
Vida, sounds like THE dream-mother-in-law! And thanks for approving my mushy broccoli consistency. I liked it the way it was, but felt a bit guilty of overcooking it - which I won't be the next time ;)
Making fresh pasta is defientily commendable but it is not always the best solution. I spent a lot of time working for a pasta maker in Malta and he explained to me that orichette is one of the types of pasta that is best pre made. cooking it fresh makes it soft and doesn't hold the sauce as well as the dry version does. Indeed one italiam boat owner i work for insists that i cook only dried and never make fresh as he loves the al dente bite in it.
Hi Niall, I hope this will not put all the women in southern Italy that make orecchiette fresh each day out of their jobs :) I can see benefits to both versions, but having had freshly made orecchiette on our trip to Puglia, I'm a bit biased I'm afraid.
Are you sure you're not Italian! My husband is Italian and his mum taught me many recipes - some of these "home secrets" seem to be replicated here word for word!
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Hey, what a coincidence! I was going to try my 'hand' at making those myself soon. Thanks for the prodding...