Homemade Orecchiette {egg-free pasta}

By raklisa2020

Ingredients

• 1 cup (150 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (185 grams) semolina flour, plus more for shaping the pasta
• Generous pinch (3 grams) fleur de sel
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) to 3/4 cup (187 ml) warm water

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from injennieskitchen.com

Preparation

Step 1

Add the flour and salt to a deep bowl. Use the tips of your fingers to whisk them together until combined. Pour in 1/2 cup of the water, and stir with a fork to bring the mixture together into a dough. If it seems dry, which is very likely at this point, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time, until all of the flour mixture has been absorbed into the dough. Depending on the weather, you may need to use all of the water (on cooler, dryer days) or less than the full 3/4 of a cup (on warmer, more humid days). Remember dough of any sort absorbs moisture from the air.

Keeping the dough in the bowl, gently knead it a few times until it becomes a smooth ball. You can alternately turn it onto a counter or cutting board, but that means one more thing to clean up (and less is best for me when it come to washing dishes). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and set it on the counter to rest for 10 minutes.

Set up two stations, next to each other, to begin forming the pasta. You’ll need a small section of unfloured counter space to roll out the dough, and a textured surface (I use a plastic cutting board) with a light sprinkling of semolina flour.

Unwrap the dough, and cut off a 3/4-inch thick slab. Loosely cover the dough so it doesn’t dry out until you’re ready to cut another slab off. Roll the slab of dough into a 1/2-inch thick rope on the unfloured counter top. Transfer the rope to the floured board, and cut off 1/2-inch thick coins. Arrange the bits of dough cut side up. Place the tip of a butter knife at the edge of the dough, and use a quick motion, pull the butter knife towards you. Use the tip of your forefinger to mold the pasta into shape, creating a “little ear”, which is the literal translation of orecchiette. In reality, I think it looks like a sombrero, just with a not-so-wide rim. Transfer the formed orecchiette to a rimmed sheet sprinkled with semolina flour, making sure to keep them single layer so they don’t stick together.

Repeat with the remaining pasta dough. Let the pasta sit for at least 20 minutes so the shape can set. At this point, you can freeze them. Once frozen, transfer to ziptop bags, and store in the freezer for up to two months. Cook directly from the freezer (do not thaw). If you want to eat them immediately, cook in a salted pot of boiling water until the desired doneness, about 8 minutes for al dente.