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Orecchiette the bane of my pasta existence


Fat Guy

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Is it me or is it impossible to keep orecchiette from sticking together when you cook them? I've had this happen to me twice recently. I'm pretty sure I've done everything right: tons of water, stirring immediately -- yet many of them nest inside one another and stick. What's the issue here?

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
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Are you talking about fresh orecchiette or dried?

Are the fresh homemade or store bought? If fresh home made usually they don't stick because in Puglia we use hot water in the dough and that not only gives more bite to the orecchiette but helps with the sticking issue. If fresh storebought make sure the are separated before dumping in water (like put them in a bowl and run your fingers through them, gently separate the stubborn ones). If dry, I don't know if you still often shouldn't happen.

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I find that how I add them to the pot of boiling water makes a difference. So, I add them similar to how I would add polenta to boiling water, letting them run through my hands and making sure they hit the water individually. Then, stir fairly often. But, as Sam says above, there will always be a few "nesters."

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

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I've had success boiling them individually :laugh:

So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money. But when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness."

So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

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Haven't had this problem using De Cecco dry orecchiette. A dash of olive oil in the pot might help?

I love this pasta with small cubes of lightly boiled potato, broccoli or purple sprouting florets, dried chilli flakes and salted anchovy fillet.

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I buy the fresh at a local market, spread them out on a tray and lightly spray with a little oil.

I drop a few at a time into rapidly boiling water, stir briefly then half-way through the cooking time and have had no problems with nesting.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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I might be an odd one but I enjoy running into a "nester" while eating...

This is why I love shells so much...Will have to get some orecchette

tracey

The great thing about barbeque is that when you get hungry 3 hours later....you can lick your fingers

Maxine

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My solution to the nesting problem is to use gnocchetti instead of orecchiette. They catch most sauces just the same way, but don't tend to catch each other as much while cooking because they are a little more oblong.

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