Mattia Agazzi Makes Orecchiette with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Anchovies

 

Orecchiette pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Anchovies
 

Ingredients for 3 people:
 

For the pasta: 

• 100 g semolina (if you do not have semolina you can mix half and half or even use only "00" finely milled flour or all purpose flour which includes semolina)

• 50 g lukewarm water

 

For the sauce: 

• 1 garlic clove

• 4 anchovies

• 20 ml white wine 

• 10 g capers (rinse well)

• 20 g semi dried tomatoes

• 1 stalk of diced celery

• Breadcrumbs to taste

• 1 lemon

 

Method:

Put the flour in a bowl and incorporate the water a little at a time until it has a smooth and homogeneous consistency. 

Once the dough is ready, let it rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator, then roll out the orecchiette into a 1.5cm thick sausage. Cover the rest of the dough whilst you work. Slice the length of pasta into 8mm pieces, then using a butter knife, push the dough down and towards yourself. The dough will curl over the knife. With your thumb invert the pasta to curl back over itself, creating that inside-out shape. The secret is to do many to achieve the right shape so the perfect amount of sauce can cling to them.

After the orecchiette are made (and sitting on a flour dusted board), start making the sauce. 

Crush the clove of garlic and brown it in a pan with a drizzle of oil, add the anchovies until they melt down and add the capers, cherry tomatoes and leave to cook for a few minutes and then turn off the heat and add the white wine.

In the meantime, cook the orecchiette in salted boiling water for 4-5 minutes and in a separate pan toast the dry breads with a few spices if you wish (eg: chili pepper) a drizzle of oil and let it cool. Later, you will use it to finish our dish.

Once the Orecchiette are cooked, drain them and put them in the pot with the sauce, turn the heat back on and leave the sauce to come together for at least one minute, add a little cooking water if needed, add salt and stir them with a drizzle of raw oil, then finally add the fresh diced celery.

To complete the dish the Chef recommends, as you see in the video, to add grated lemon zest and to finish with toasted breadcrumbs!