I’ve been quite excited about getting the Flour+Water cookbook, I even pre-ordered it, something I don’t do that often, the book is beautifully put together, full of stunning photographs, and very well written with easy to follow recipes. Their instagram feed is a must follow. The Orecchiette below is from the book (not verbatim) and the sauce my own, more of a I really really want to make Orecchiette, get another pasta method under my belt, and I have leftover roast chicken thighs that were going to become a rye berry salad but transitioned quite easily to a nice stocky sauce.
Sauce
Leftover chicken meat shredded, thighs and drum
1/2 carrot very finely diced
1/2 red onion finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp parsley and oregano, finely diced
1 cup chicken stock, infused with thyme and chilli
1 tsp cider vinegar
Chard, leaves finely sliced and stalks finely diced
1 tbsp butter
75~100 ml pasta water
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Sauté chicken until crisp and golden around the edges, toss in the carrot, onion and chard stalks, cook until translucent, add the garlic and deglaze with cider vinegar. Add the chard leaves and chicken stock, simmer until reduced by half. Put the pasta onto cook, and after about a minute add a ladleful of the pasta cooking water and swirl in the butter, don't stir. Taste and season.1 minute later (2 minutes total) add the 80% cooked pasta and toss, finish cooking it in the sauce. Stir in the herbs, cook for 30 seconds more. Double check seasoning. Serve up with shavings of parmesan.
Orecchiette
180g flour
180g fine semolina
168g warm water
10g salt
- Dissolve salt in water.
- Mix flour and semolina together.
- Form a well and pour in water.
- Mix together and knead for 10 minutes.
- Cover tightly with cling film and rest at room temp for 30min.
- Cut off about quarter of the dough, cover the remainder.
- Using your hands roll out into a thin log, about a pencil width thick.
- Cut into 1cm segments.
- Use a butter knife and push down on the far edge of a piece and pull towards yourself, so the dough curls over.
- Uncurl over your thumb and turn inside out to form a dome.
- Place completed Orecchiette on a sheet pan dusted with semolina.
- Leave to air dry at room temp until you’re ready to cook.
- Boil in well salted water for about 2 minutes, and then another minute in the above sauce.
