The orecchiette from Matera are cooked first in a pot, but then with sauce, mozzarella and pecorino cheese they become a tasty baked pasta
We are used to thinking of orecchiette as a typical dish of the Apulian cuisine, perhaps in its version already famous with the turnip greens but this type of pasta is also very common in the culinary tradition of Basilicata.
Indeed, the Orecchiette from Matera are one of the typical first courses of all Lucania, ideal for a lunch Sunday and with a rustic and very strong taste. They are baked in the oven, with a lamb meat sauce, mozzarella and pecorino.
Tradition has it that they prepare with homemade orecchiette but if the time (and the desire) is short, a pack of fresh pasta bought in shops or in the supermarket can also be used with excellent results.
Orecchiette from Matera: the recipe
Ingredients
To prepare the orecchiette alla materana you will need: 500 g of fresh orecchiette, 250 g of lamb meat, 500 g of tomatoes to make the sauce, 2 mozzarella, 200 g of pecorino cheese, extra virgin olive oil and salt.
Method
In the preparation of the orecchiette from Matera, if you use one ready-made fresh pasta, the first thing it gives is to dedicate yourself to the lamb meat sauce. It is therefore necessary cut the meat into small pieces and brown it in a pan with extra virgin olive oil. Once the meat is well browned it's time to add the tomatoes for the sauce, peelless and seedless and well washed.
The gravy with lamb must simmer for about an hour, adding cooking water from time to time to prevent it from drying out.
When the sauce is ready it's time to cook the orecchiette in abundant salted water. Drain them al dente and put them in an oven dish alternating with the pasta layers with mozzarella and pecorino. Finish with plenty of pecorino and then put in the oven for 20 minutes at 180 °.
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