I made orecchiette. Very simple. Just semolina flour and water – half as much warm water by weight as semolina flour. For two people I mixed 200g fine semolina flour and about 100g warm water. The dough was mixed, kneaded, and formed by hand.
Orecchiette is meant to be made with fresh pasta. With dried orecchiette, by the time the thick rim of the “ear” is cooked al dente, the thin middle is overcooked. With fresh pasta, there is already moisture in the pasta, so the pasta takes much less time to cook.
The fresh orecchiette was cooked in plenty of salted, boiling water until al dente, about 2 minutes, then drained and added back into the warm pot.
1 cup of ricotta mixed with 1 tablespoon of crème fraîche, a bit of freshly grated nutmeg, and salt & pepper to taste, was stirred through the pasta. Finally, thin slices of smoked salmon were gently mixed through and the pasta was plated.
