According to Wikipedia, the pasta Orecchiette (singular, orecchietta… but really, who eats ONE piece of pasta???), “is a kind of home-made pasta typical of Puglia or Apulia, a region of southern Italy. Its name comes from its shape, which resembles a small ear.”
At our house we think they look like little WWII Army helmets. Little Army helmets of whole wheat pasta yumminess.
One day I will post the real recipe for my bolognese sauce, but tonight I was tired. So I cheated. A lot. No chopping, no dicing, no fresh, no mess, and it was really good nonetheless.
Homemade Sauce with Little Army Helmets of Love
1 lb ground sirloin
1 pkg Orecchiette pasta (I used the whole wheat Dellalo organic. Grabbed it at Whole Foods this weekend in Chicago, but I think in p-town you can get it at Fresh Market)
1 can (32 oz) san marzano crushed tomatoes
1/2 small can (or 2-3 Tbs in a tube) tomato paste
2 Tbs dried italian herb seasoning
1 Tbs dried onion powder
1 Tbs dried garlic powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
Brown the meat until cooked and start the water for the pasta. When meat is cooked add the tomatoes and the paste and the herbs. Stir until the paste is cooked then simmer on low and add the pasta to the boiling water. Once the pasta is cooked and the seasoning is right on the sauce, you are ready to go!
Quick. Easy. And you can freeze the leftover sauce.
Oh, in case you were wondering, only 33 days until the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook is released. LOVE HER! And not just because she sent my 89 year old grandma a birthday card. Really, it happened. More on that later…
the sweet provision 