Orecchiette De Cecco

Orecchiette, also known as "strascicati" or "strascinati", are the most typical pasta format in Puglia cuisine. They are shaped like a round disc slightly hollowed out in the center.

In the Puglia gastronomic tradition of homemade pasta, orecchiettes were made with white flour, durum wheat semolina, and water. After having divided the paste into small pieces, they were "dragged" with the tip of a knife to make a kind of shell that was then folded back with the tip of the thumb.

In the traditional Puglia recipe, orecchiettes are boiled with broccoli or potatoes and served with a tomato and sheep cheese sauce or garlic and oil sauce.

They are also known as "Recchie" and are served with vegetable ragout or lamb ragout and cottage cheese.

We leave you a De Cecco-style recipe:

Wash the turnip tops and cook them in boiling water. Cut two garlic cloves into small slices, fry them in abundant oil and drain them.

Blanch the clams in boiling water for 10 seconds and open them with the help of a knife. Put the cheek slices in the salamander or on the oven grill until crisp. While the pasta is cooking, sauté the garlic cloves in the chili oil in the pan and sauté the turnip tops again. Sauté the pasta in this sauce, sautéing with a little water and add the clams.

PRESENTATION

Divide the pasta into 4 deep plates and garnish by placing the crispy cheeks, Pecorino cheese and toasted garlic slices on top.