Orecchiette

Orecchiette are small round discs of pasta, slightly hollowed in the centre, which De Cecco and Barilla both call the most typical shape of Apulian cooking. Dry orecchiette are made from durum wheat semolina and water, and their classic dish, with turnip tops, is listed among Puglia's traditional food products. ¹²⁵

How they are made by hand. De Cecco describes the home tradition: a dough of white flour, durum wheat semolina and water was cut into small pieces, each dragged with the tip of a knife into a little shell and then turned back over the thumb. ¹ That dragging gives the other name, strascinati. ¹ Barilla's dry version is smooth inside and ridged outside, so the rough surface holds sauce. ²

Where they belong. Italy's national list of traditional food products of 14 July 2017 records «Orecchiette» and «Orecchiette con le cime di rapa» under Puglia, «Orecchiette (Recchietelle)» under Molise and «Tallutzas, Orecchiette» under Sardinia. ⁵ The Accademia Italiana della Cucina calls them the traditional fresh pasta of Puglia, made with durum wheat semolina or type 0 flour. ⁴

Dry orecchiette and their times. Barilla cooks in 12 minutes and De Cecco n° 91 in 11, or 9 al dente. ²¹ Divella's no. 86 «Orecchiette di Puglia» takes 10 minutes, Granoro's Baresi no. 90 only 8, while Divella's large ridged Sventole no. 86a need 13. ⁶¹⁰⁷ The time on your own pack therefore matters more than a rule for the shape. ⁶⁷

The Bari classic. The Accademia's recipe for 4 uses 400 g of homemade orecchiette, 1.5 kg of turnip tops, 4 salted anchovy fillets, 2 garlic cloves, chilli and extra virgin olive oil. ³ The greens go into 5 litres of boiling water, the orecchiette follow a few minutes later and are drained very al dente, then tossed with garlic, chilli and anchovies melted in the oil. ³

Other dressings. De Cecco says orecchiette are traditionally boiled with broccoletti or potatoes and served with tomato and pecorino or with garlic and oil, and also with vegetable ragù or lamb and ricotta ragù. ¹ The Accademia adds strong sheep's ricotta, wild rocket, cacioricotta and «brasciole», a ragù of meat rolls. ⁴ Barilla also suggests broccoli, anchovies and chilli. ²

Nutrition and allergens. Divella's dry orecchiette give 355 kcal per 100 g, with 73 g of carbohydrate and 12 g of protein, while its fresh Orecchiette Baresi give 281 kcal and 9.9 g of protein. ⁶⁸ Orecchiette contain wheat, a gluten cereal that EU labels must highlight, and Divella warns of possible traces of soy and mustard. ¹²⁶

Orecchiette or cavatelli. Both are southern hand-shaped semolina pastas, but orecchiette are dragged with a knife and turned over the thumb into a round disc. ¹ Campania's sheet describes cavatelli instead as elongated pieces hollowed out with one to four fingers, the small ones for soups and the larger ones for ragù. ¹³ So orecchiette are round and open, cavatelli long and curled. ¹¹³

Why it matters to you. For the Bari dish, cook the greens and pasta together and drain them very al dente, as the Accademia does. ³ Follow your own pack: dry orecchiette need from 8 to 13 minutes depending on brand and size. ¹⁰⁷ Check the label for wheat and for may-contain warnings such as soy or mustard. ¹²⁶