Italian

asic orecchiette
S e r v e s 4
63/4
6 oz. (1 cup) semolina flour
oz. (11/2 cups) unbleached
all-purpose flour; more for
shaping the dough
2/3 cup warm water
Slicing and
mincing basil
This dough comes out best if you work the
water in very slowly; don’t try to bring in too
much flour at one time. Flour amounts are
listed by weight (ounces) and by volume
(cups); use either measurement.
1. In a bowl, whisk the flours together well.
Mound the flour on a work surface, make a
deep well in the center, and pour 2 Tbs. of
the water in the center. With two fingers,
stir in a little flour from the walls of the well.
When the water is absorbed and a paste
formed, repeat with more water until you
have a soft but not sticky dough.
2. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it’s smooth and supple,
7 to 8 minutes. If it crumbles during kneading, wet your hands to moisten
the dough slightly. Cut off a golf ball-size chunk of dough; cover the rest with
plastic wrap. Roll the chunk into a cylinder about 1 inch in diameter. With a very
sharp knife, slice the cylinder into disks about 1/8 inch thick.
To create fine shreds, stack leaves atop
one another and roll into a tight tube. (For
smaller leaves, bunch as tightly together
as possible before cutting.) Cut the rolled
leaves using a single swift, smooth stroke
for each slice. The width is up to you. This
is known as a chiffonade.
3. Pick up a disk. If it’s squashed from cutting, squeeze it slightly between your
thumb and index finger to return it to a circular shape. Put the disk in the palm
of one hand and press down on it with the thumb of your other hand. Swivel
your hand (not your thumb) twice to thin the center of the ear, leaving the
rim a little thicker. If the dough sticks to your thumb, dip your thumb in a little
flour as you work. Repeat with the rest of the dough. As you finish the disks, lay
them on a clean dishtowel. When you’ve shaped an entire cylinder, sprinkle
a little flour over the ears and repeat the process with a new chunk of dough.
Use immediately, or dry the pasta for later use.
PER SERVING: 330 CALORIES | 10G PROTEIN | 67G CARB | 1G TOTAL FAT | 0G SAT FAT |
0G MONO FAT | 0.5G POLY FAT | 0MG CHOL | 0MG SODIUM | 3G FIBER
To mince basil, turn the chiffonade slices
(keeping them together with a gentle
pinch) and make a few perpendicular
cuts as wide or as narrow as you like.
Don’t go back over the basil as you might
when finely chopping parsley.
P A S TA 65