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Prep time
1 hour 28 minutes
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Cook time
16 minutes
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Serves
4
Author Notes
Traditionally, orecchiette is served with sausage, rapini, and toasted garlic. Jay and I came up with this version of the dish, using harissa and lamb from the Middle Eastern market in our neighborhood. If you like, you can use ground beef or pork instead of lamb here.
—Chandra Ram
Test Kitchen Notes
Featured in: After 8 Years of Marriage, I’m Teaching My Husband How to Cook. —The Editors
Ingredients
- Orecchiette
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1 3/4 cups
all purpose flour
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1 1/2 cups
semolina flour, plus more as needed
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2 teaspoons
kosher salt
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1 cup
tepid water, plus more as needed as needed
- Harissa Lamb & Mustard Greens
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1 teaspoon
grapeseed oil
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1 pound
ground lamb
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1
small yellow or white onion, minced
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1 teaspoon
kosher salt, plus more as needed
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1 teaspoon
ground cumin
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2
cloves garlic, minced
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2 teaspoons
harissa paste, plus more as needed
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1 teaspoon
grated orange zest
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2 tablespoons
tomato paste
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2 tablespoons
olive oil
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1 bunch
mustard greens, chopped
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4
garlic cloves, thinly sliced
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1 pound
orecchiette, cooked
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1/3 cup
cup chopped pistachios
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1 tablespoon
crushed red pepper flakes
Directions
- Orecchiette
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In a bowl, combine the AP and semolina flours and salt. Stir in the water until a dough forms, kneading it into the dough. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, not sticky or dry. If the dough retains a few dry spots, sprinkle a little water on top and knead it in. Cover the dough and let it rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
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Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper and dust it with semolina flour. Cut off a chunk of dough the size of your fist, leaving the remaining dough covered. Roll the dough into a log about half an inch in diameter. Cut the log into 1/4-inch pieces.
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Dust your work surface with semolina flour. Press your thumb into each piece of dough into the semolina, twisting it as you press to form a disc that is thinner in the center than on the edges. Pick up the disc and gently form it into a shallow cup around your thumb, then transfer it to the sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining dough, making sure to keep the pieces separate so they do not stick together.
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If you aren’t cooking the orecchiette immediately, cover and refrigerate it on the sheet pans for up to 2 days, or freeze it on the sheet pan and then transfer it to a container; use within 2 months. Do not thaw the orecchiette before cooking it.
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the orecchiette to the pot and simmer until they float to the surface, about 2 minutes. Cook for 1 more minute, until al dente. Remove the orecchiette from the pot with a strainer or slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Toss with olive oil.
- Harissa Lamb & Mustard Greens
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Heat the oil in a large sauté pan, then add the lamb, onion and salt and cook until the lamb is evenly browned and the onion softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cumin and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat and stir in the harissa paste, orange zest, and tomato paste. Simmer for 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Taste and add more salt if needed.
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Heat the olive oil in a clean large sauté pan until shimmering. Add the mustard greens all at once; they will wilt down as they cook. Cook, using tongs to fold the greens over themselves as they cook, until the greens are wilted and are starting to brown on the edges, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and just starting to brown, about 1 minute.
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Portion the orecchiette into four bowls, then top with mustard greens and lamb. Sprinkle the pistachios and red pepper flakes on top and eat.
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