Homemade Orecchiette (Hats) Recipe

I had to ask myself this morning why did I wait so long to finally make this homemade pasta.


I have fabulous memories of these hats and they came out just the way I remembered them from a child and what a difference they are homemade from scratch.


Much easier to make these than I expected.


I have no idea what took me so long to try making them!


Orecchiette (pronounced [orekˈkjette]; singular orecchietta; from Italian orecchia, meaning 'ear', and -etta, meaning 'small') are a pasta that is popular in Southern Italy.

Special Occasions

My son decided I should make him something special for his 28th birthday, so what better time than to finally try this homemade pasta dish.


Happy Birthday, Curt, my youngest baby is 28 already!


He ate two plates full..... and said when you make these again?


They made a pound and a half...but made lots of extra for tomorrow and a special Happy Father's Day to all my male readers!!!


Lucky for me Curt's birthday always falls around the same time so we celebrate both!

A Long Long Time Ago

Back in the 1960s, I would watch my Aunt make this pasta.


As a little girl of 5 or 6, I use to go to my Aunt Anna's house and watch her make these with her five daughters.


I so wished I had gotten her recipe and was old enough to understand and learn her tricks of the trade, hers were the best.


For years I wanted to learn how to make them, but never had the opportunity to learn her special homemade hat recipe.

Dad's Mom

Even though my Aunts were the best and always will be.


I decided to try a homemade pasta recipe my grandmother Victoria left behind that her daughter had written down and used this one.


Although I could never duplicate the art and talent of my Aunt Anna's, this version is a close second.


I made these with fond memories of my childhood years watching her in amazement by transforming dough into these fun shaped she called hats.

The Inspiration

I always find it comforting that the inspiration for food goes back to what we grew up on.


Either you fall in love with certain foods and they remain etched in your mind forever or you hate them.


I loved these and found this pasta to be great fun to eat and watch them be made.


An art that seems to get lost in time for each generation.

Nicknames

I actually had purchased some while I was up there and never knew the real name that of course these are famously known as Orecchiette.


So here is my version, and grandma's recipe for pasta she would use in her soup recipes but made rings with these.


They have so many nicknames, little ears, hats, bowls, small ears and I never knew the real name for this pasta as being orecchiette pasta, until I started cooking!


I only knew them by the name hats.

Curt really enjoyed these!

A little dense but still soft pasta

Small pieces of dough made into a hat shaped pasta.

The pieces of dough are sliced in 1/8 inch pieces and then with your index finger make a well forming a hat.

Remember to keep all the remaining dough covered not to dry it out while shaping your pasta

Also, Try My Other Favorite Pasta Recipes

Homemade manicotti
Homemade ravioli
Homemade cavatelli

Homemade Orecchiette (Hats) Recipe

homemade pasta, handmade pasta, pasta shapes, pasta made with semolina, Little ears pasta, Orecchiette pasta, Italian pasta

macaroni, pasta, Italian food homemade pasta, handmade pasta

Italian

Yield: 8

Author: Claudia Lamascolo

Homemade Orecchiette (Hats) Recipe

A fun pasta shaped with many names like ears, little ears, bowls and more. This orecchiette pasta is a staple in Southern Italy. The recipe is very very old.

prep time: 1 H & 20 Mcook time: 35 Mtotal time: 1 H & 55 M

ingredients:

• 1 cup semolina flour (I keep my unused semolina in the freezer to keep it fresh)
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup lukewarm water
• plus 3 to 4 tablespoon

instructions:

How to cook Homemade Orecchiette (Hats) Recipe

1. In a heavy-duty electric mixer using a mixing bowl, combine the semolina, flour, salt and add 3/4 cups of water, mix with a flat beater till this forms a ball.
2. Add 3 to 4 additional tablespoon of warm water if too dry, this dough needs to be smooth and elastic to the touch, but still soft. 
3. Note: this may take 20 minutes or so by hand. Form the dough into a ball and cover.
4. To make the Orecchiette hats, cut off a small handful of the dough (keep the rest of the dough covered).
5. On a lightly floured board, roll the dough into a rope about 3/4 inch in diameter.
6. Cut the rope into slices no more than 1/8 inch thick to form small circles of dough with your index finger make a well inside each piece to form a hat shaped dough pasta.
7. Repeat with all of the remaining dough, placing the Orecchiette on a lightly floured cookie sheet as they are made.
8. You can now freeze these on the cookie sheet and bag for later use, or cook after they dry for about an hour.
9. The Orecchiette is cooked in salt and a little longer than most pasta till they float to the top of the boiling water.
10. To freeze, spread over a cookie sheet, freeze and after totally frozen put into bags and freeze up to three months.
11. Makes about 1 1/2 pounds fresh pasta.
12. Serve with plenty Traditional Sunday Sauce, some Braciole topped with a good grade of grating cheese.

Calories
259

Fat (grams)
13

Sat. Fat (grams)
9

Carbs (grams)
22

Net carbs
11

Sugar (grams)
4

Created using The Recipes Generator

Pin for later

If you like orecchiette pasta try this recipe below:

Chickpeas and Orecchiette