Homemade pasta in Italy should be declared a World Heritage; we have hundreds of different shapes available. From a simple dough of semolina or flour, water, or eggs, we can create many shapes and satisfaction. These are wheat ears; precisely because they resemble those ears in the sunny fields that will later become flour for our tables.
Calabrian Wheat Ears because the ingredients are typical of this sunny land that meets the sea after the olive groves.
Sun-dried tomatoes, anchovies, capers, and olives…An intense flavor for a pasta with character.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
Semolina, water, and anchovies, sun-dried tomatoes, bell peppers, and…
- 10.5 oz semolina flour
- 2/3 cup water (It may absorb a bit more or less, depending on the humidity and type of semolina.)
- 2 salted anchovies
- 1/2 bell pepper
- 1 onion
- 4 sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olives
- 1 zucchini
- 1 tablespoon capers
- to taste olive oil
- to taste salt
Tools
Mixing bowl, pot for pasta, and pan for the sauce; and then you need a colander, a wooden spoon, and… I’m also including shopping tips because it’s good to treat ourselves to new utensils every now and then.
- Bowls
- Stand Mixers
- Pans
- Colanders
- Spoons
- Plates
Steps
After cleaning and cutting the vegetables into pieces, and preparing the wheat ears, it takes just a moment!
Knead the semolina with lukewarm water and salt. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes covered with plastic wrap and shape your wheat ears. After making the spaghetti, proceed as shown in the photograph.
Twist the two ends and join them at the bottom. Continue until the dough is used up.
In a pan with olive oil, add the chopped vegetables including sun-dried tomatoes, olives, capers, filleted anchovies, and sauté slowly while bringing water to a boil for the pasta.
Cook your wheat ears and add them to the sauce, mix carefully and serve.
A first course with character, flavorful and complete.
Not everyone likes cheese with this type of sauce, but if you just can’t do without it, Pecorino cheese encapsulates the essence of the dish.
And there are over 300 different shapes of fresh pasta in Italy, but we don’t know them all yet, as they also follow family traditions.
Some additional tips
It may seem strange, but I fried the larger wheat ears in seed oil until crispy, then served them with honey and fresh cheese. Once prepared, they can be frozen for later use, first spread out on a sheet of parchment paper and then placed in a bag. They are also great with meat ragù, shrimp and zucchini, pesto…
