Hand-Rolled Orecchiette with Broccoli, Garlic and Chilli
Inspired by techniques from King Arthur Baking, Serious Eats and NYT Cooking.
Hand-shaped semolina orecchiette cooked with broccoli and tossed in a garlicky, chilli-spiked olive oil sauce.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Mix the dough. Put the semolina in a bowl, make a well in the centre, and pour in the water. Stir with your fingertips until it clumps together, adding the extra 1-2 tbsp of water only if dry flour remains at the bottom.
- 2
Knead until smooth. Knead the dough on a clean worktop for 8-10 minutes, until it turns smooth and firm and no longer looks gritty. Semolina takes a while to hydrate fully, so the kneading time is what brings it together rather than extra water.
- 3
Rest the dough. Wrap the dough and leave it to rest for 30 minutes before shaping.
- 4
Shape the orecchiette. Cut the dough into 6 pieces, keeping the rest covered, and roll one piece at a time into a 1.5 cm rope on the bare worktop, then cut it into 1 cm pieces. Put the rounded tip of a table knife on the far edge of a piece and drag it towards you with firm pressure, so the dough curls into a rough little shell, then flip it over your thumb to form a cupped, ear-shaped piece with a rough outer surface - that texture is what catches the sauce later. For cavatelli, drag with two fingers instead and leave the dough curled rather than flipping it.
- 5
Cook the broccoli and pasta. Bring 4 litres of water to the boil with the 32 g salt. Add the broccoli and cook for 2 minutes, then add the orecchiette and cook both together for 4-5 minutes more, until the pasta is tender with a firm centre and the broccoli is soft. Reserve 240 ml of the cooking water before draining.
- 6
Warm the garlic and chilli. While the pasta cooks, warm the olive oil, garlic and chilli flakes in a large frying pan over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, until the garlic turns pale gold.
- 7
Toss together. Lift the pasta and broccoli into the pan with 80 ml of the reserved water, and toss over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes, pressing down on some of the broccoli so it breaks up and melts into the oil. This is what turns the broccoli into a rough, green, oily coating rather than separate florets.
- 8
Serve. Divide between bowls and finish with the grated pecorino.
Storage
Shaped, uncooked orecchiette can be frozen on a tray then bagged for up to 2 months and cooked straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the time. The finished dish is best eaten fresh, but leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat well in a pan with a splash of water until piping hot. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Equipment
- large bowl
- bench scraper
- table knife with a rounded tip
- 2 baking trays dusted with semolina
- large frying pan or sauté pan (30 cm)
- large pot (at least 5 litres)
- slotted spoon or spider strainer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 486 kcal |
| Protein | 16 g |
| Carbohydrate | 60.8 g |
| of which sugars | 0.5 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 20.3 g |
| of which saturates | 3.8 g |
| Fibre | 6.2 g |
| Salt | 0.88 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
3.3 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
