HOMEMADE ORECCHIETTE WITH SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI SAUCE

A rainy Sunday...what can you do at home? We decided to make orecchiette and the kids LOVED it!!!They enjoyed helping me ... for them it's a bit like playing with playdough so it kept them  entertained for a while!!

500 g semolina flour
water
500 g broccoli
4 Italian sausages
1 clove of garlic
20 gr grated Parmesan
Extra virgin olive oil



Gather the flour into a pile, and create a well in the center. Pour 1/2 cup of water into the well.

Gradually incorporate the flour  into the water using your fingers. Once all the water is absorbed, continue adding water, a bit at a time, until the mixture begins to form a dough.
Start to gather and knead the dough, working it until no dry flour remains on your work surface. Continue to knead until smooth and elastic  (for about 5 minutes).
Cover the dough with a clean, damp kitchen towel. Roll 1 portion of dough into a rope.

Use a knife to cut and drag a 1 cm piece of dough from the end of the rope (a grainy wooden cutting board helps grip the dough) .

Unfurl each piece of dough over your thumb in the opposite direction to form a concave shape, and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet lightly sprinkled with semolina flour. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Orecchiette can be stored at room temperature in a single layer overnight; remember to cover them with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. You can even freeze them: first, freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet; then transfer them to a resealable plastic bag, and return them to the freezer. Boil directly from the freezer.

For the sauce:

Wash and cut the broccoli and put them in a pot covering them with water; cook them for 10 minutes starting from the moment in which the water boils.
Put some olive oil in a saucepan and add the clove of garlic. Then add the broccoli and the sausage cut into small pieces. Add salt and pepper and some white wine (optional) and cook for a few minutes on low heat. Take away the garlic.
In the meantime cook the orecchiette in the same water you have used for the broccoli( the cooking time depends on how thick they are; they need to cook for a minimum of 11 minutes but sometimes it can take up to 20 minutes, so you need to try them!), then drain them and put them into the saucepan. Mix well and when on the dish, sprinkle with some grated Parmesan.