Orecchiette
Orecchiette are small, concave pasta disks closely associated with Puglia’s cooking.
- Shape
- Small concave disks
- Try with
- Turnip tops, anchovies and chili
The knife and fingertip shape the hollow
The national tourism account describes drawing small pieces of dough with the tip of a smooth-edged knife and using the fingertip to obtain the concave shape. The accompanying recipe supplies a semolina-and-water example, rather than a formula that every producer must follow.
Turnip tops with the concave shape
Italia.it documents orecchiette with turnip tops, anchovies and chili as a Puglia dish. Its recipe uses re-milled durum wheat semolina and water for the pasta. Try that vegetable-and-anchovy combination when you want an accompaniment that belongs to the same regional cooking as the concave shape.
Worth knowing next
- TrofieCompare Trofie: tapered twists, with pesto, potatoes and green beans as a starting point.
- MalloreddusCompare Malloreddus: small ridged shapes, with campidanese sausage ragù as a starting point.
- Maccheroni alla ChitarraCompare Maccheroni alla Chitarra: square-section long strands, with tomato with small meatballs as a starting point.
