# Pulgia: Recchietelle - Orecchiette



## Margi Cintrano (May 4, 2012)

Good Morning,

THE VALLE D´ITRIA, located in between the towns of Martina Franca and Putignano in southern Puglia on the Adriatic, is a region that is extraordinaire, because it houses the most unusual buildings in the world, The Trulli ( pronounced truly ). The Trulli are Nationally Government Protected architectural dwellings, as well as Historical Preservation and documented with the International Patrimony of world monuments. 

With this in mind, the town of Alberobello with its striking landscape as the rolling red clay earth, olive groves, wine estates and the dramatic skyline of Trulli, is a perfect place to spend a few days. 

Here is their most famous Pasta dish called Rechietelle or Orechiette, which signifies an audio aparatus, or little ears. These indented little disks of pasta do indeed resemble little ears ...

  Orecchiette con Cime e Rape 

*** One can prepare a basic pasta dough for home made and / or orecchiette can be purchased from a fine Italian grocer.

The Recipe ...

1 pound of fresh turnip or beetroot greens trimmed
5 tblsps Evoo
8 anchovies 
1 red chili pepper or dry red chili or dry red pepper flakes  
Garlic ( 1 or 2 cloves minced )
1 bay leaf
12 ounces of little ear shaped pasta, or one can substitute with Little Shells 

1. cook greens in pot of salted boiling water until wilted 3 to 4 minutes
2. using slotted spoon, transfer greens to a strainer and drain extremely well. ( I have made this dish with fresh spinach )
3. reserve the cooking liquid in pot
4. squeeze greens dry
5. heat evoo in heavy large skillet over medium heat and add the: anchovies, chili pepper, garlic and bay leaf, sauté until the garlic is golden, 3 minutes.
6. add the greens and sauté to coat, about 2 minutes
7. discard the bay leaf and whole chili if used 
8. return cooking liquid to a boil, and add the little ear pasta or little shells, and cook until tender however, firm to bite.
9) drain the pasta well and add to the greens and sauté to coat and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

*** serve with a lovely Prosecco or Lambrusco or Piemonte Red and crusty warm bread. One can sprinkle aged freshly grated pecorino or Reggiano parmesano. ENJOY.

Have a lovely wkend.
Margi. Cintrano.


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## Luca Lazzari (May 4, 2012)

Take a look at this video and you'll become a master in orecchiette making

Orecchiette pugliesi fatte da mamma UNA AD UNA. Che Arte! - YouTube


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## Luca Lazzari (May 4, 2012)

Even if there's a discussion in the comments of this video, someone says these are orecchiette, someone says strascinati, someone cavatelli...
Viva l'Italia


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## Harry Cobean (May 4, 2012)

Luca Lazzari said:


> Even if there's a discussion in the comments of this video, someone says these are orecchiette, someone says strascinati, someone cavatelli...
> Viva l'Italia


hey luca
now that we've put the "oil in the water" debate to bed please answer this for me:
my favourite pasta brand is garofalo bronze die.all the same ingredients so why is it,or is it my imagination,that different shapes(linguine,penne,fusilli, etc)taste different when cooked the same way?.all delicious but different
harry


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## Margi Cintrano (May 4, 2012)

Luca,

Thanks so much for the Dvd on the how to´s of making the dough for the Little Ears. Truly appreciate it ...

Have a lovely wkend. 
Margi.


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## Margi Cintrano (May 4, 2012)

Harry,

Why does your tomato sauce taste different than mine in Puglia and why does my tomato sauce taste different in Puglia from the exact same one I make in Madrid Capital ? 

And 99% of the time, I make my own dough, same product I buy in Italia or same brand from Italia, in Madrid. 

Barilla is Barilla in Puglia, however, is the Barilla I buy, from Italia, the same when it arrives in Madrid ? NO ... the packaging reads a bit different too ... 

One of the great mysteries of the universe !

Have nice wkend.
Margi.


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## Luca Lazzari (May 4, 2012)

Harry Cobean said:


> hey luca
> now that we've put the "oil in the water" debate to bed please answer this for me:
> my favourite pasta brand is garofalo bronze die.all the same ingredients so why is it,or is it my imagination,that different shapes(linguine,penne,fusilli, etc)taste different when cooked the same way?.all delicious but different
> harry



This is interesting. I'll have to investigate it further. I believe they produce different shapes starting from the same stuff, but I could be wrong. I'll ask a friend of mine, whose family runs a small industrial pasta making business.


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## Margi Cintrano (May 4, 2012)

Luca and Harry,

Come to think of it, as a matter of fact, all products, for example a bottle of 7 Up or Sprite or Coca Cola, do taste different here than in the USA for example ... so it is NOT only Pasta ... it is the water too ... 

Packaging laws, may prohibit some ingredients and requiring subbing ... for example, in the USA, soy is used in alot of products. I cannot eat Soy, so this is a problem. Many things in Spain, have Sunflower Oil in them. This I do not eat either. So, there are catch 22´s ... The Italian products shipped from italia to españa are different !!! this i know 1st hand.

Have nice day guys, it is near lunch time 13.30 hrs. And I have to sign off for a while.

Kind regards and Have nice Wkend. Any plans for the wkend ? 
Margi.


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## Harry Cobean (May 4, 2012)

Margi Cintrano said:


> Harry,
> 
> Why does your tomato sauce taste different than mine in Puglia and why does my tomato sauce taste different in Puglia from the exact same one I make in Madrid Capital ?
> 
> ...





Luca Lazzari said:


> This is interesting. I'll have to investigate it further. I believe they produce different shapes starting from the same stuff, but I could be wrong. I'll ask a friend of mine, whose family runs a small industrial pasta making business.


love a good mystery margi,thanks luca
harry


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## Margi Cintrano (May 4, 2012)

Harry,

We shall catch up over wkend. Have a great one !

Margi 13.30 Hours Madrid time.


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## Harry Cobean (May 4, 2012)

Margi Cintrano said:


> Luca and Harry,
> 
> Come to think of it, as a matter of fact, all products, for example a bottle of 7 Up or Sprite or Coca Cola, do taste different here than in the USA for example ... so it is NOT only Pasta ... it is the water too ...
> 
> ...


Any plans for the wkend ? yep,as per your "agony aunt" advice i'm gonna find me a lady to cook for!!
adios!
harry


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## Margi Cintrano (May 4, 2012)

Harry,

Ha Ha ... Bachelors and single women, the love lorn and the divorced, and widowed, all have the same "syndrome finding Mister or Miss Right" ... Not an easy task today ! 

I wish you the very best in your "chatting up" Lady Right. Seems that you are very social and cool dude. 

Have nice wkend.
Margi.


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## Harry Cobean (May 4, 2012)

Margi Cintrano said:


> Harry,
> 
> Ha Ha ... Bachelors and single women, the love lorn and the divorced, and widowed, all have the same "syndrome finding Mister or Miss Right" ... Not an easy task today !
> 
> ...


why thank you ma'am,i try!
harry(with blushes)


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## Bacardi1 (May 5, 2012)

Margi - Thanks for this version of a recipe I make frequently, but using Broccoli Raab/Rapini - which I LOVE.

Will have to try it with young organic turnip & beet greens which are just now hitting our local farmers markets.


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## Margi Cintrano (May 5, 2012)

*@ Bacardi:  Broccoli Rabe, Me Too*

Bacardi,

Hope you are having a lovely wkend.

I also prepare with Broccoli Rabe however, when I am at the Condo in Puglia. 

In Madrid Capital, I have to " hunt " for the broccoli rabe ! Not so common here ... 

So, I prepare this one ... 

Kind regards and thanx for the feedback,

Margi.


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## Luca Lazzari (May 8, 2012)

Friends, I really love orecchiette. I prepare them with broccoli, or cauliflower, or cime di rape (but they are available only 3 months a year), or simply with fried pieces of bread and anchovies. And sometimes with tomato sauce, I cook for a LONG time some horse meat in the tomato sauce to make it tasty and brownish, then I remove the meat and use only the tomato for the orecchiette. I learned the last recipe from my fiancée grandmother; the old lady was Pugliese, she always prepared everything from scratch, God bless her.


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## Margi Cintrano (May 8, 2012)

Buonasera Luca,

Nice to see you online ... As I had mentioned to Bacardi, I prepare orrechietti with Cime di Rape too, however, it is not easy to find locally in Madrid. I can easily get it when I am in Puglia ... 

Yes, you have told me that ur Ex wife is from Puglia. The Pugliese have some wonderful breads ... and their wineries are modernizing tremendously. 

I am sorry to report, I only ride Horsies ! 

Kindest regards. 
Margi.


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## Luca Lazzari (May 8, 2012)

Margi Cintrano said:


> I am sorry to report, I only ride Horsies !



Yes, even my father, sister and brothers were horse fans. I mean, riding them not eating them.
Me, I prefer the carnivorous option...


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## Bacardi1 (May 9, 2012)

Margi - do you garden?  Or have space for a little gardening?  If so, rapini is very easy to grow from seed - even in containers.  In fact, I order imported Italian seeds of several varieties of rapini from "Seeds from Italy"  Seeds from Italy , a company that imports all of its seeds from Europe - mostly Italy.


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## Margi Cintrano (May 9, 2012)

@ Bacardi 1,

Good Evening.

This can be a wise idea ... Perhaps, at the Condo in Gargano, Puglia would be alot better than at the centre of the city Loft ... 

It is like Tuscon here during the summers, Dry, Dry like the Sahara, and hot - 50 centigrade and not a breeze !  

Thanks for the info on cime di rape ... 

Kind regards. 
Margi.


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