Orecchiette with buffalo mozzarella and caciocavallo

The perfect cheese for a tasty first course

03.01.2017

  • 350 gr of fresh orecchiette pugliesi pasta
  • 200 gr  of fresh buffalo mozzarella
  • 100 gr  of caciocavallo cheese
  • 2 or 3 tablespoons  of Pecorino Romano grated cheese
  • a knob of butter
  • 200 gr  of bechamel sauce
  • 500 gr of tomato passata
  • 1 onion , 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk ,all diced
  • 1 tablespoon  of extra virgin olive oil
  • some basil leaves

In a pot sauté the the onion, the carrot and the celery stalk with the oil, when they look cooked and golden add the passata and salt to taste, cook for at least 20 minutes and add the basil at the end.
In another pot cook the fresh pasta in salted boiling water for just few minutes, to avoid  to overcook them  when baking in the oven. Drain the orecchiette and return them in the pot, add a knob of butter and a couples of ladles full of sauce, stir and let it all cool a bit. Diced the mozzarella and the caciocavallo and add it to the orecchiette together with the grated pecorino Romano cheese. Take some individual baking dishes (better if terracotta ones) and fill them with the orecchiette. Add on top of each baking dish a ladle of sauce and some bechamel sauce diluted with some water. Bake in a preheated oven at 200° until the top looks golden brown. Serve in the baking dish after 4 or 5 minutes.

Orecchiette with buffalo mozzarella and caciocavallo