What are Orecchiette?
One of my favorite pasta shapes, orecchiette are a small, cup shaped pasta said to originate in the Puglia region of southern Italy. Orecchiette means “little ears” in Italian. You can see why!
Forming this rustic pasta is easy and kid friendly, everyone will enjoy making it as much as they love to eat it.
A little dough goes a long way! This recipe was more than enough for the two of us, with a little left over. You can double or triple the ingredients as needed. Follow the easy steps, showing you just how to make this pasta along with the classic pairing of pancetta and peas!
Ingredients:
For the pasta
- 70g. Gluten Free Flour Blend (I used Better Batter Original Blend)
- 3/4 tsp. olive oil
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
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To finish
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 oz. diced pancetta
- 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
- Italian seasoning
- grated cheese
- fresh Italian parsley for garnish
Preparation:
Whisk the egg, egg yolk and olive oil in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the flour and salt and beat with the paddle attachment to form a soft dough.
Bring the dough together and wrap it in plastic wrap. Rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
Divide the dough into 4 sections. Work with one section at a time, and keep the remaining dough covered so it doesn’t dry out.
Lightly flour a cutting board and roll each section of dough into a rope, 3/4″ thick. Use a bench knife to cut the ropes into 1/2″ pieces.
Roll each piece between your palms to form round, marble sized balls.
For the final shaping, use a knife to pull the dough ball toward you, like this.
Then place it over your thumb or fingertip, gently inverting it to form the “ear” shape.
Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper, and dust lightly with flour. Place the finished Orecchiette on the baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate if not cooking immediately.
To finish the dish, render the pancetta in 2 tbsp. olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the peas, sprinkle with Italian seasoning and cook 5 minutes longer.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Lift the waxed paper and slide the pasta into the water. Cook the Orecchiette 2-3 minutes, they are done when they float to the top.
Remove the orecchiette with a slotted strainer and toss with the pancetta and peas. Add a ladle of pasta water if needed.
Drizzle with more olive oil, sprinkle with grated cheese and garnish with fresh Italian parsley.
Notes ♪♫ This simple dish is made extra special with fresh, homemade pasta. A wonderful project for a Sunday afternoon, it was a great way to end the weekend!
