Orecchiette Pasta Carluccios Way Recipes

ORECCHIETTE WITH BROCCOLINI AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil; add a generous amount of salt. Add the orecchiette and cook to al dente (take 3 minutes off of the time on the box; it'll finish cooking later). Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until brown, about 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a plate, keeping the fat in the skillet. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the broccolini and cook until crisp-tender, about 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low. Add the pasta and sausage to the skillet along with the Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, a couple of pinches of crushed red pepper and a bunch of turns of black pepper. Stir in a few tablespoons of the pasta water and continue to cook, stirring, until glossy, adding more pasta water if needed. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. Sprinkle with more Parmesan before serving.

ORECCHIETTE WITH CLAMS AND BROCCOLI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs, adding the grated broccoli during the last 30 seconds of cooking. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, combine the breadcrumbs and 2 teaspoons olive oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes; remove to a bowl.
• Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil with the garlic in a separate pot over medium-high heat. Cook until the garlic is just golden, about 3 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, clams and wine. Cover and cook until the clams open, 5 to 7 minutes; remove the clams to a bowl using a slotted spoon (discard any unopened clams). Add the butter, pasta, broccoli and 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water to the pot; cook, stirring, until the pasta is well coated, about 1 minute. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup cooking water if the pasta seems dry.
• Stir the clams and any juices into the pasta. Drizzle each serving with olive oil and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.

ORECCHIETTE WITH SAUSAGE AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the scallion whites and rosemary and cook until the scallions begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices and 1⁄2 cup of the boiling water. Let simmer while you cook the pasta.
• Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Add the pasta to the tomato sauce along with the spinach and half of the scallion greens. Toss to coat the pasta and wilt the spinach, about 1 minute, gradually adding the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen. Season with salt, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and remove from the heat.
• Sprinkle the cheese over the pasta and toss well. Divide among plates or shallow bowls and top with the remaining scallion greens.

HOMEMADE ORECCHIETTE PASTA

Steps:

• Mix semolina flour and salt in a large bowl or on a marble work surface. Make a well in the center.
• Pour water into the well a little at a time, mixing it with the flour. Add as much water as needed to make a sticky but compact dough.
• Knead dough with your hands by flattening the ball, stretching it, and folding the top towards the center. Turn 45 degrees and repeat until dough is elastic and smooth, but not too soft, about 10 minutes.
• Shape dough into a ball. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes before using.
• Work with one portion of dough at a time, keeping the remaining dough covered to keep it from drying out. Dust a work surface with semolina flour; roll out the dough to make a rope, about 1/3 inch thick.
• Cut off little 1/3-inch thick pieces. Pick up knife with a rounded tip. Carefully hold one side of the dough with your index finger. Hold the knife in your other hand. Gently drag the small piece of dough towards you. Lift up the knife by the end in such a way that you get a thicker edge. You'll obtain a small disk of dough, thinner in the centre. Press the disk gently against your thumb and it will curve.
• Proceed the same way with the rest of the dough. Transfer orecchiette onto a floured surface and sprinkle with more semolina flour. Do not overlap orecchiette or they will stick together. Let dry for about 30 minutes before cooking.

ORECCHIETTE WITH ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 3/4 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the artichokes and season with salt. Cook, turning halfway through, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the garlic and beans to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cherry tomatoes, red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
• Add the pasta and the reserved cooking water to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until the pasta is coated, about 1 minute. Stir in the parsley, parmesan and artichokes; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle each serving with olive oil and top with more parmesan.

ONE PAN ORECCHIETTE PASTA

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion with a pinch of salt in hot oil until onion is soft and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir sausage into onions; cook and stir until sausage is broken up and browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Pour 1 1/2 cups chicken broth into sausage mixture and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add orecchiette pasta; cook and stir pasta in hot broth, adding remaining broth when liquid is absorbed, until pasta is cooked through and most of the broth is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
• Stir arugula into pasta-sausage mixture until arugula wilts. Ladle pasta into bowls and dust with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.