Orecchiette pasta is the culinary symbol of Barias small as a nail, resembling small ears. Its history dates back to the Middle Ages, when the inhabitants of Puglia formed semolina dough so that it dried as quickly as possible and was suitable for long storage. Over time, orecchiette became more than just a local paste – one could say that it was the city’s calling card. Today, you just need to walk the streets of Bari Vecchia (the historic, older part) to see that the tradition of making pasta is still alive.
In front of the houses on Via Arco Basso, women – Italian mammas and nonnas – sit at wooden tables and, with extraordinary skill acquired over the years, form small discs with one movement of a knife and then turn them into ears with their thumbs. The ladies are talking to each other and music or TV is playing in the background from their apartments. Tourists stop, take photos of the process of preparing Bari pasta, and finally buy fresh orecchiette. The most famous Puglian dish for which this type of pasta is used is orechiette with turnip greens. It is an Italian paste with broccoli turnip leaves, garlic, anchovies and olive oil. Today we will offer a slightly Polonized version of this dish.
Ingredients:
- 400 g macaroni orecchiette,
- 600 g of young turnip leaves, thin stems and inflorescences,
- garlic clove,
- 100 g smoked bacon,
- 50 g of parmesan,
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt,
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper,
- 1/8 teaspoon of hot pepper.
Additionally:
- olive oil for frying.
How to do it:
1. Separate the leaves from the stems and inflorescences. Wash everything thoroughly and dry it. Discard the thicker stems and throw the rest into a pot of boiling salted water. Cook them for 10-15 minutes until the vegetable is al dente. Drain, reserving the cooking water.
2. Cut the smoked bacon into small cubes. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Add the chopped meat and crushed garlic clove. Fry everything for a while, then add the turnip leaves and simmer until the flavors combine. Take out the garlic.
3. Cook the orecchiette according to the instructions on the package, in the same water in which the turnip was previously boiled. Drain and add to the pan with vegetables and bacon. Stir and heat over low heat for a few minutes.
4. Transfer the Bari pasta to plates and sprinkle the dish with Parmesan.
5. Serve the dish warm. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Heat in a pan or in the microwave. Use within 2 days.
Source: Terazgotuje.pl
