Orecchiette with spring greens and guanciale

I got inspired by seeing all the orecchiette action over at @pastasocialclub and had my first go at it.
It's one of those pastas that might seem daunting, but is actually somewhat simple and doesn't require any fancy equipment. I prepared them with some wonderful guanciale from @fa.lu.cioli , charred spring greens (chard, and agretti), scapes, ricotta, lemon zest, and parmesan cheese. I'll definitely be making these again! Video of the whole process below.

The Orecchiette

Ingredients

1.5 cups Semolina ( 265 g)

.5 cups Tumminia Flour ( 85 g Sicilian whole wheat from from Molini del Ponte)

1 cup Water ( 215 g)

*Portion is good for 5-6 people.

Instructions

1. Mix together the dry ingredients, and dump them out onto a clean work surface. Form them into a mountain shape with your hands. Using the tips of your fingers, create a well in the center.

2. Slowly pour the water into the center and in a circular motion, begin incorporating the flour into the water, working outwards as you go. I find eggless dough is always a bit easier to work with.

3. Once you’ve poured out all of the water the mixture should be a bit clumpy. Now you can start using your hands to begin working the dough. Scraping up all the clump, and pressing them together firmly. Do this methodically for about 5 minutes, until the mass begin to take on a smooth form. Use the palm of your hand to press down, rotating 25 degrees clockwise each time. If you have a flat bench knife/scraper, use this to scrape all any dough that has stuck to the work surface. Resist the urge to add more flour until you’ve worked it for a few minutes and still determine it feels too wet.

4. After about 5 - 10 minutes, the dough ball should be very smooth, and it should not stick to your hands when you touch it. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap tightly, and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

5. Unwrap the dough, and divide into about 6 pieces. Cover 5 of the pieces with the plastic wrap again as you begin working with the first smaller piece. This will prevent them from drying out as you work with the dough.

6. Lightly dust the divided piece with semolina, and begin rolling it out with the palms of your hand into a long rope that is no more than .5 inch thick or the size of your smallest finger. Lightly dust the work surface with more semolina. It is best if your work surface is wood for this as the grain of the wood helps the dough grip the surface. This will be more difficult on a very smooth surface.

7. Using a butter knife with a serated edge, cut off a small piece of dough and gently rolling it into a ball with your finger tips.

8. Carefully, with two hands holding the knife, press the edge of the knife into the edge of the dough ball. Begin applying pressure and at the same time start dragging the knife towards you. The pressure and motion will cause the dough to flip back over on top of itself in your direction. It might take a few times to get a hang of it, but it’s really a rather simple movement.

9. Very gently unfurl the curled shape with the tips of your fingers. Use your thumb or pointer finger to hold the orecchiette in place as you roll down the edges so that it creates a inverted well in the center. Watching the video (below) will help get a better visual on this part of the process.

10. Repeat this process until you’re through with all of your dough. The finished orecchiette should be set onto a drying rack or clean surface dusted with a light coat of semolina and left to air dray for at least an hour or can be set out to dry overnight.

11. Fresh pasta should take about 4 - 5 minutes to cook, and if drying out completely they will a few minutes longer.

The Pasta Dish

Ingredients

Orecchiette

A bunch of spring greens (I used agretti and Swiss chard but any heartier greens will work well for this)

2 finely diced scapes (or 2 cloves of garlic if scapes are not available)

Guanciale (1/2 cup)

Fresh ricotta

Lemon zest

Freshly grated parmesan

Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Chop and blanch your greens for 1 - 2 minutes and rinse in cold water. For more tender greens, you can skip ahead to step 6.

2. Bring pot of water to boil.

3. Saute the guanciale in a cast iron skillet on medium heat. This time of year I like to use an outdoor wood fired oven, but this can easily be done on the stove top. Make sure however you’re cooking it, the temperature is set to medium as you don’t want to burn the guanciale as the fat renders out. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently until the guanciale starts to get crispy.

4. Add in the diced scapes (or garlic) and continue to saute for about another 4 minutes.

5. At the same time, add the fresh made pasta to the boiling water and cook until tender. Fresh made pasta will typically take no more than 5 minutes. Reserve some pasta water when you drain the cooked pasta to use if you find your pasta to be too dry.

6. Toss in your greens with the guanciale and scapes and stir together for another minute or two.

7. Remove from the heat and add the cooked pasta directly into the same pan with the greens and guanciale. Toss together until all the noodles are evenly coated.

8. Plate each portion and add a dollop of fresh ricotta cheese on top, freshly grated lemon zest, freshly grated parmesan, and some black pepper. Enjoy!