Finally, I inaugurated the terracotta dishes I bought a few months ago on Amazon. I bought 18 of them 😂 I love inviting friends over, and I’m sure I’ll use them all. For now, I’ve done a test to figure out how much pasta I needed to make, so next time I know how to adjust.
Friday was a holiday, so since I didn’t work, I prepared fresh orecchiette.
In the link, you will find all the photos with the preparation steps. It takes some patience, but the satisfaction is immense!
You might be interested in:
Orecchiette with ricotta, cherry tomatoes, and basil.
Orecchiette with broccoli, anchovies, and chili pepper.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Portions: 7
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 17.5 oz semolina flour
- 1.3 cups water
- 1.75 lbs ground beef
- 3 eggs
- 1 clove garlic
- 1.75 oz parsley
- 5.3 oz Parmesan cheese
- 5.3 oz breadcrumbs
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
- 3.5 oz soffritto mix
- 2 tomato purée
- 1 diced tomatoes
- 1 scamorza cheese
Tools
- 1 Skillet
- 1 Pot
- 1 Ladle
- Terracotta Pans
- Grater
- Absorbent Paper
Orecchiette with Baked Meatballs in Terracotta Dishes.
If you want to make fresh orecchiette, click here 👉 orecchiette – to follow the complete recipe with photos of all the preparation steps.
It takes a bit of patience, but it’s worth it. Every time it’s a great satisfaction.
The meatballs. Get a bowl and put all the ingredients: ground beef, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, parsley, and eggs. Mix everything well with your hands to combine the ingredients. Take a small amount and form balls slightly larger than a green olive.
In a plate, pour some breadcrumbs and roll the meatballs. You just need to put about two heaping tablespoons of breadcrumbs, place the meatball, and move the plate in a circular motion. This way, the meatball will “adjust” its round shape and have the right breadcrumb consistency.
Place a large skillet on the stove and pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom. When it reaches the right temperature, add the meatballs. Occasionally, gently move the skillet in a circular motion. The meatballs will turn and cook evenly.
Once cooked, transfer them to absorbent paper and set aside.
The sauce. Pour a double swirl of olive oil into a high-sided pot. Add the soffritto mix and let it flavor. Add the meatballs and stir. Pour in one can of diced tomatoes and two bottles of tomato purée. “Clean the bottles,” meaning pour about 2-3 finger-widths of water, close the lid, shake and pour into the pot (repeat 3 times for each bottle). Adjust salt, stir, and let cook with the lid on for about 2 hours over low heat.
The scamorza. Grate the white scamorza or, if you prefer, the silano caciocavallo cheese and set aside.
Now we have all the ingredients ready, and we can proceed with preparing the orecchiette with baked meatballs in terracotta dishes. In a large high-sided pot, bring water to a boil and cook the orecchiette until al dente. Be careful! If the orecchiette are fresh, they will need to cook for less than 2 minutes. Once drained, mix them with the meatball sauce.
Preheat the oven to 392°F and place the terracotta dishes on a work surface side by side. Pour a slight ladle of sauce, a ladle of orecchiette, the grated cheese, and repeat. Finally, add the meatballs on top.
Place the dishes in the hot oven and bake for about 15 minutes.
Now you just have to try them!!!
Exquisite single portions to savor.
