Orecchiette with Tomatoes

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 25 minutes
  • Servings: 4
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Orecchiette with Tomatoes is a summer dish in Puglia, while Orecchiette with Broccoli Raab is served in winter. You can sample these if you join one of Lyndey’s hosted tours to Puglia and Basilicata. In Bari in Puglia you can see housewives making orecchiette outside their houses and in doorways.

Ingredients

  • 400g orecchiette
  • ¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 750g ripe tomatoes, peeled, finely chopped
  • 50g (2/3 cup) grated ricotta salata or pecorino cheese
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and cook garlic for a minute or two until fragrant and almost browning. Immediately add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper and keep stewing for at least 20 minutes to thicken the sauce.
  2. Cook orecchiette in a large saucepan in plenty of salted boiling water and cook for 8 minutes, or according to packet directions until ‘al dente’.
  3. Drain orecchiette well and return to the saucepan and mix with the sauce and most of the grated cheese. Serve in a large warm bowl or divide between individual bowls and serve immediately with extra grated cheese.

Notes

Lyndey’s Note: Pugliese cuisine is very simple; just a few seasonal ingredients mixed with love and care. Fresh tomatoes are only used in summer. Ricotta salata is also known as ricotta dura, secca or stagionata and is a hard cheese. Orecchiette means “little ears”.

Pictured with Deep-fried Ricotta Balls.
Try also Orecchiette with Broccoli Raab.

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