Homemade Orecchiette

Homemade Orecchiette with tomato pepper sauce. 

I've been toying with the idea of making my own pasta but just hadn't got around to it. Not until I saw the October issue of Martha Stewart which included a section about making homemade Orecchiette. This was perfect. Not having a pasta maker or even a rolling pin, I needed to make a pasta with as few specialty tools as possible. All you need is a knife and some sculpting skills. I had both! 

However, my artistic talents seemed to get in the way when crafting a pasta with an Italian name meaning "little ear." To set the record straight, Orecchiette does not look like little ears as its' name claims. Orecchiette looks more like tiny flared lipped bowls. The pasta should be called "little bowl" or "piccole ciotole." Despite this knowledge I could not shake the image of a little ear from my head. My Orecchiette ended up looking more like various parts of the human anatomy and nothing like what it should.

My little ears.

I recommend picking up the issue of Martha. It includes step by step instructions with photographs. Which I could not compete with. However, I've included the recipe is after the break.


Homemade Orecchiette

Ingredients:
2 cups semolina flour plus more for baking sheet
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp coarse salt
1 cup water, divided, plus more if needed

Directions:
Mound semolina and all-purpose flours and salt in 3 separate piles on a large, clean work surface. Using your fingers, swirl ingredients together until combined.
Gather flour mixture into a pile, and create a well in the center. Pour 1/2 cup water into well. Gradually incorporate flour mixture into water using fingers.
Once all the water is absorbed, continue adding water, 1 tbsp at a time, until mixture begins to form a dough.
Start to gather and knead dough, working it until no dry flour remains on work surface.
Continue to knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes
Divide dough into 15 equal portions, and cover them with a clean, damp kitchen towel.
Roll 1 portion of dough into an 18-inch-long rope.
Using a knife to cut and drag a 1/3-inch piece from end of rope facing you-a grainy wooden cutting board helps grip the dough.
Holding knife at a 45-degree angle to work surface, press and roll dough toward you.
Unfurl each piece of dough over your thumb in the opposite direction to form a concave shape, and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet lightly sprinkled with semolina flour. Repeat with remaining dough. Orecchiette can be stored at room temperature in a single layer overnight; cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap.