![]() Orecchiette are made throughout Puglia and they start from the same technique for preparation of cavatelli. "It is called cavatello because it is " cavatello", the dragging is minimal", explains Romano, who adds: "On the Murgia the cavatelli are made by dragging the dough with three fingers: with the middle finger you drag the dough, while with the ring and index finger you control the shape." Then you cut a piece and you make the cavatello either with the help of a finger or with the tip of the knife. You take a piece of dough and work it with your hands until you get a small “snake” of pasta. It is the zero-grade of fresh pasta in Puglia. ![]() Moreover, the processing techniques also change depending on the place. But the names of these formats are not the same everywhere. Depending on the movements we make with our hands or underwire, we can make cavatelli (using our hands), strascinati (using sfèrre) and even a mix of maccheroncini with underwire and orecchiette, known also as maritati. It is the sfèrre, "a knife that our grandmothers used to use, made of iron,” explains Sandro Romano. The Apulian gastronomic tradition reports it as the first tool for the processing of orecchiette. Once the rest time has passed, we begin to give shape to the pasta with the help of our hands and a particular customary instrument. ![]() The ingredients and the dough Knead the pasta Let it rest for at least half an hour, wrapping the dough in a cotton cloth so that the glutinic mesh is formed and the mixture is elastic. We combine all the ingredients and knead with our fingertips until we have created a smooth and homogeneous mixture. We add water at room temperature and knead. Once the ingredients have been mixed together, we start by creating a fountain of semolina on the pastry board. Unlike other areas of Italy, no eggs are put into the dough. No salt is added except in the water for boiling the pasta: "If you put salt in the dough, it makes the glutinic mesh harder," explains the pasta chef. The dough must be smooth, but not wet.” In addition to semolina, in Salento, barley flour is used a lot while in the rest of the region, burnt wheat flour is also widespread. But when you go to shape the dough, you don't succeed. If you put more water, it works better, it's true. "But to achieve this effect, you need to have a certain amount of experience and manual skill.” Romano adds: "The dough must be rough, almost grainy. "Because it ensures greater porosity of the pasta." Regarding the amount of water to use in these recipes with semolina, the two experts have a hard time explaining: "The trick is to reduce the quantity in order to have a dough that produces ‘wrinkled ears’," Amenduni recommends. "It's the flour used by pasta makers," explains Antonio Amenduni, a pasta trainer who holds masterclasses in Italy and abroad. So, in an elegant metaphor, among fresh and dried pasta, we will find only water and durum wheat semolina – often in its natural form. "Puglia is made of durum wheat semolina," says Sandro Romano, gastronome and journalist. And cavatelli? What about strascinati? It's best we tidy up, especially if we want to knead the pasta ourselves, making it just like the old ladies of Bari Vecchia – who have just now found themselves in the midst of a “pasta controversy.” The ingredients Let's take orecchiette, for example: for a single format of pasta, there are many names that change from city to city. We have established the importance of that! Bucatini is not easy to find in local grocery stores, making it that much more special when you can get your hands on it.Sitting at the table in Puglia means experiencing great gastronomic traditions and many, many linguistic and culinary differences. The thin, spaghetti-esque shape has one unique quality: There’s a hole running through the center of the noodle, which helps it cook more evenly. It’s really a question of what kind of shape you’re seeking at the moment: noodle or tube? As far as noodles go, bucatini is my choice every time. BucatiniĪsk me next week, and this shape may take the top spot. The widest of the standard pasta noodles, it cooks up beautifully, coils into perfect little nests with ease and pairs well with any kind of sauce. Usually, long sheets of pasta are cut into strips about ¾ inches wide, but the beauty of papardelle is that it doesn’t need to be too precise. ![]() One of the most rustic pasta shapes, papardelle is the easiest shape to make from scratch because it can be cut easily by hand. Related: 15 black-owned restaurants in Tampa Bay 3.
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