Orecchiette Pasta with Tomato Garlic Sauce

Orecchiette are home made pasta that are shaped like little ears and are found mainly in the southern region on Italy called Puglia, which is where my family is from. In our southern italian dialect they are called "chiancared". When making orecchiette by hand, dough is rolled into cylinders and cut into small pieces then rolled, dragging one thumb over another. Then a thumb is inserted in the bottom side making a little hump.  For todays recipe, I did not use the home made orecchiette as that is too time consuming for a week night, however will share the recipe and the making of these delicious pasta bites in the near future.

Ingredients:


450 g Vita Sana Orecchiette Pasta
796 ml can Unico Crushed Tomatoes
1/2 can water
2 tbsp Bertolli Olive Oil
4-5 garlic cloves minced
3-4 basil leaves
3/4 tbsp salt
3/4 tbsp sugar
Red wine of your choice
Sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese


Method:


Brown garlic in olive oil until tender. Add wine and cook together until mixture thickens.  Add tomato sauce, water, basil, salt, sugar and bring to boil. Cover and simmer on low to medium heat for at least one hour. Cooking time of this sauce is less because of the garlic, it takes away the tartness of the tomatoes.


In the meantime, cook orecchiette in salted water until they are "al dente", following the directions on the package. When cooked, drain, add a bit of sauce and stir. Plate with additional sauce and sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese.


Enjoy!