Homemade Orecchiette

Pasta (as you already know) comes in lots of shapes and sizes. I usually make mine ain the shape of long fettucine or spaghetti simply because the attachments on my mixture make this much easier and quicker to make.  This time I tried my hand at making orecchiette, little ear shaped pasta.  This is a great shape to make if you don't have a mixer with fancy pasta attachments because all you really need is your bare hands & a sharp knife.  I will tell you that this takes a bit of time so do it on a lazy afternoon when you haven nothing planned.

Happy Friday!

Make your own orecchiette!

1. I used this recipe.
2. Knead the dough on a floured surface.
3. Cut the dough with a sharp knife into 1/2" thick chunks, & then cut them widthwise in half into 1/2" wide.
4. Roll each piece out into a log the size of a yellow #2 pencil, about 1/4" thick.
5. Using a sharp knife cut small 1/4" pieces from each log.
6. Roll each piece between your hands to make a smooth ball.
7. Push your thumb into the middle of the ball, shaping the dough around your finger to make a little ear shape.
8. Let finished orecchiette on a floured surface in one layer until ready to cook.