Orecchiette

Here’s a very interesting recipe, a home-made pasta recipe. When you hear home-made pasta I am sure u think there must be a lot of hard work involved but d rule I follow with my recipes is simple one: easy to make and yum to eat. So this one too follows trait I have named the recipe orecchiette after the ear shaped pasta that comes from south of Italy. The pasta gets it name from its shape ear shaped, although I dint keep the shape similar to the ear, it looks more like a flower to me but the recipe is similar so the name. Anyway ear or no ear this recipe is sure to keep you asking for more!!

Ingredients for the pasta:

Wheat flour (1 medium sized bowl)

Water (as per needed)

Salt (to taste)

Ingredients for the sauce:

Butter (3 tbspn)

Garlic (2-3 cloves)(thinly sliced)

Fresh Red or green chilli (2) (thinly sliced)

Carrot (1 medium sized)(shredded)

Coriander (finely chopped)

Lemon juice (2-3 drops)(optional)

Dry oregano (1tspn)

Carum seeds (ajwain seeds)(1/2 tspn)

Cheese (I used 2 types of cheeses, the white britania one and the yellow amul cheese slices.)(2 slices and 1 cube) (grated)

Salt (to taste)

Method:

1. Heat a litre of water in a deep bottom vessel, add 2 tbsp of salt to this water and bring to boil.
2. In the while that the water comes to boil make a firm dough with the wheat adding required amount of water and a pinch of salt.
3. Roll the dough into a long rope like shape, with a knife cut small portions of the dough and place in dry dough to save them from sticking to each other.
4. Apply a little oil to your hand and shape the pasta with your thumb into a small ear shaped.
5. Put all the freshly made pasta to the boiling water and cook till the pasta starts floating in the water. Cook for another 2 mins and turn the flame off.
6. In another non-stick pan heat the butter and add the garlic and sauté.
7. Add the chillies, carrots, thyme, oregano, salt and coriander to this and sauté for two minutes.
8. Add the pasta to this add toss well. Add the cheese to the pasta and mix well.
9. Add the lemon juice and serve hot!!