Last updated on October 30, 2023
Water, durum wheat semolina and salt. With these three ingredients in Bari Vecchia they make orecchiette, the Italian pasta in the shape of ears. We share the original recipe, easy and fun
Orecchiette is a type of pasta typical of the regions of Apulia (Puglia in Italian) and Basilicata. It contains only three ingredients: durum wheat semolina, water and salt.
It is shaped like a small ear, hence the Italian name 🔊 orecchiette, literally ears. The surface is rough and the dough thick: thanks to these properties, orecchiette is particularly tasty to eat and combines well with many different sauces.
You can usually find dried orecchiette in the grocery store, but making your own is also very easy. Because you don't need eggs, you can prepare orecchiette very quickly at home: ready within an hour.
On this page from All Italian we share the simple recipe to make orecchiette yourself: easy, fun and above all delicious.
Durum wheat was grown throughout southern Italy, and of course also in Apulia and Basilicata - the Italian regions where the tradition of orecchiette is deeply rooted, even today.
If you've been to Bari and walked the streets of Bari Vecchia, you've probably come across Via dell'Arco Basso, at the baresi (the people of Bari) known as Via delle Orecchiette.
Since always in via dell'Arco Basso, the ladies prepare and sell orecchiette on the street, in front of the house.
However, this activity is not regulated: the ladies do not actually have a trade permit. The NY Times also wrote about it, with an article titled Call It a Crime of Pasta.
But the ladies have on their side the support of residents and tourists, who like to go home with a nice bag of fresh orecchiette.
In fact, this street activity is part of the Apulian culture and of the city of Bari.
Making orecchiette is easy and fun. They do not contain eggs, so they are easy to make and also easy to store.
We share the recipe for making orecchiette in a simple way, like the ladies of Via dell'Arco Basso in Bari do.
| Ingredient image | Ingredient name | Cups | Grams | Ounces |
|
Durum wheat semolina | 14.1 oz | 400 g | |
|
Water | 7 oz | 200 g | |
|
Salt | 0.2 oz | 5 g |
Pour room temperature water into a bowl, add the salt and mix with a fork until the salt is dissolved.
Gradually add the semolina, two tablespoons at a time, stirring constantly to mix it with the water.
When you can no longer mix with a fork, place the ball of dough on the dough board covered with a thin layer of semolina.
Knead with your hands for a few minutes. Add a little more semolina when the dough sticks to your hands and the board.
Keep kneading until you get a smooth and slightly elastic dough.
Cover the ball of dough with a dry tea towel and let it rest for 15 minutes on the dough board.
Separate a piece of dough, shape it with your hands into a snake with a diameter of about 2 cm.
Then divide the long cylinder of dough into segments about 3 cm long.
This way you get many small cylinders of dough of 2 cm in diameter and 3 cm in height.
There is a specific gesture to shape the orecchiette:
squeeze and drag a small piece of dough;
you get a small disk of dough that you turn upside down into the shape of a small ear: a orecchietta.
This is how you make the typical shape of the Apulian orecchiette.
Repeat this action until you have used up all the dough.
After that, the orecchiette are ready to be cooked.
Your fresh orecchiette is ready, just like in Puglia. Buon appetito! 🍝
In the restaurant in Italy, when you finish eating, the waiter will ask: 🔊 andava tutto bene? (was everything fine?)
Orecchiette is a type of pasta that you can cook in many ways: in boiling water like pasta, or directly in a pan with the sauce like a risotto.
The latter method is especially suitable if you want to make extra creamy orecchiette with vegetables such as turnip greens or broccoli.
But the most common cooking method for orecchiette is in pasta water, for both fresh and dried orecchiette.
Fresh orecchiette, the one you make at home, cooks in less time than the dried orecchiette you buy at the supermarket.
Fresh orecchiette usually cook for about 6-7 minutes and rise to the surface when they are almost done. At that point, we suggest you taste them to check if they are al dente.
The orecchiette are ready when they are good to eat according to your own taste.
It usually takes a few minutes longer to cook dried orecchiette.
If you use good quality durum wheat semolina, the pasta should not stick.
A tip that applies to all types of pasta: when you pour the orecchiette into the pasta water, at the start of cooking, stir immediately. This gesture is enough to keep the pieces of dough from sticking together.
Stir during cooking from time to time: this prevents the orecchiette from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
You can store orecchiette in the refrigerator for about 5 days, in well-sealed plastic bags to prevent them from drying out.
You can freeze and store fresh orecchiette for about two months. This is especially useful, because if you're making pasta, you can make a lot of it and freeze it right away.
Put the orecchiette in plastic bags, like when you keep them in the fridge; better if they're already portioned, so it's easier to get just the orecchiette you need from the freezer.
Tip: to prepare frozen orecchiette, you don't have to thaw them first.
This means that you can add the still frozen orecchiette to the cooking water.
Orecchiette is traditionally combined with other typical products from Apulia: such as turnip greens and broccoli.
Probably the most famous recipe is orecchiette with turnip greens; turnip greens in Italy are mainly grown in regions of Apulia and Basilicata.
A similar dish, and very popular here in the Netherlands, is orecchiette with broccoli and anchovies.
Orecchiette is not only eaten with vegetables: they are very tasty with tomato and ricotta, with ragù and Pecorino cheese, and also with pesto.
What does orecchiette mean? The shape of this pasta resembles that of a little ear, orecchietto in Italian.
Orecchiette is the feminine plural form.
In Italian, the names of the pasta types are in the plural: spaghetti, bucatini, penne and orecchiette.
It is therefore natural for us Italians to say le orecchiette sono buone (orecchiette are tasty) instead of (a dish of) orecchiette is tasty: from the point of view of Italians, there are many pieces of pasta on the plate.
The Italian words we use on this page:
| 🔊 Orecchio | Ear |
| 🔊 Orecchiette | (letterlijk) Small ears |
| 🔊 Cime di rapa | Turnip tops |
| 🔊 Acciuga | Anchovy |
We frequently update our pages on Italian pasta with new classic and regional traditional recipes.
I am Italian from Trentino. I studied philosophy in Padua and worked for many years between Milan and Amsterdam in the field of media and culture.
Since 2021 I write on All Italian to practice foreign languages; meanwhile I share with you the customs and traditions of my country, and the recipes that I prepare at home.
