orecchiette

This is Puglia's most famous contribution to pasta culture. They're formed around the thumb (and really more like little hats than ears). They may be plain, green (made with spinach) or tricolore (red white and green) They go well with vegetable sauces, especially greens; the classic dish pairs them with cime di rape.

In Basilicata you may find orecchiette alla materana: fresh orecchiette baked in the oven with tomatoes, lamb, mozzarella and pecorino cheese.

Another version is orecchiette alla Martinese, made with a sauce of tomatoes, capocollo, crispy julienned aubergine, and ricotta. From the town of Martina Franca.

Recently, the ‘pasta grannies’ who sell orecchiette in the street in Bari’s old town, close to the city’s cruise ship port, were caught selling store-bought instead of homemade!