Authentic Italy Bari and its orecchiette

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Italy is known for its ancient cities where the history of the buildings drips. I have been to many historic cities in Italy, but there is no city that has impressed me as much as Bari. Read along in my blog “Authentic Italy Bari and its orecchiette”. And as a bonus, a delicious orecchiette recipe for a classic orecchiette al ragù. pasta recipes

orecchiette al rag
Italy like walking into a movie.

Bari…. The city where time stood still

The region of Puglia

I had summer last year ik I made a tour through southern Italy with my brother. I've been to Italy countless times, but since my family lives in the North, I didn't get to the South very quickly. The Puglia region has been on my wish list for a long time. Mainly because of the good wines and delicious food, but also because of the beautiful cities. We started our tour in Bari, the capital of the region. 

fifties movie 

We came from the North (we had first visited our family) by train and after a stopover in Rome we arrived at Bari station. When you get out of the station, Bari looks like a normal Italian city at first glance, but nothing could be further from the truth. After a five-minute walk you will reach 'Bari vecchia' or the historic center. And then it's like stepping into a time machine.

The narrow streets, the very old houses, the residents sitting in front of their doors, the laundry hanging out of the windows, grandmothers making pasta in the street. You feel like you're walking through an Italian film from the 50s. 

The narrow alleys where you can get lost for hours.

The inhabitants as warm as the Italian sun

You can walk for hours through the old center. One street is even more beautiful than the other. What I really remember are the inhabitants. I have never encountered such warm and friendly people in Italy as in Bari. We slept in an Airbnb in the center. I can recommend that to everyone. Our neighbors were constantly eating outside in the street, as most residents do there. pasta recipes

We were asked several times whether we had already eaten and whether we wanted a plate of it pasta wanted to eat. Not surprising that they asked, because sharing food is extremely important in Italian culture. When we walked through the streets we were often approached and we got talking to different people. It helped that I speak Italian, but even if you don't speak a word of Italian, the Baresi doesn't care! You can get very far with your hands and feet. 

Orecchiette, the Italian ear pasta

Anyone who has been to Bari cannot avoid this: the orecchiette! Orecchiette is a type of pasta made from semola di grano duro (durum wheat). Orecchiette literally means 'ears' because the pasta is shaped like, you guessed it, ears! This pasta originally comes from the Puglia region and in Bari there is even a street where nonnas (grandmothers) make and sell the orecchiette by hand in front of their door. pasta recipes

And anyone who thinks this is all for the tourists is completely wrong. Most pastas are simply bought by the locals! Making orecchiette is not easy, it requires the right technique. The Italian nonnas do this day in and day out and this pasta literally flies around your ears! Below is my recipe for a classic orecchiette al ragù.

orecchiette recipe pasta recipes
The typical wooden chairs you see everywhere in Italy, and was on the balcony!

Authentic Italy Bari and its orecchettie

orecchiette recipe pasta recipes
Tim will probably share many more delicious pastas with us!

When you are in Bari, you should definitely do these things:

  • Sleeping in an accommodation in 'Bari Vecchia'.
  • Eating pizza at Pizzeria Dregher.
  • Eating ice cream at gelateria Martinucci.
  • Get focaccia Barese with a panifcio. 
  • Attend orecchiette workshop. An Italian nonna will teach you how to make the pasta! 
  • Walk through the historic center and enjoy the streets. 

Here you will find the complete recipe with all the ingredients you need. I hope you have fun preparing the dish below.

Authentic Italy Bari and its orecchettie

Orecchiette already back

Do you also want to make a delicious dish with orecchiette? You can buy this paste dried in the supermarket. Orecchiette are often eaten with ragù, the traditional meat sauce! 

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Hallway: Main dish
Kitchen: Italian
Keyword: orecchiette, pasta, ragu
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Preparation time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Author: Tim Harzing
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Ingredients:

  • 380 gram orecchiette
  • 1 winter carrot
  • 2 stems celery
  • 2 white onions
  • 400 gram minced beef
  • 250 ml past
  • 500 ml dry Italian white wine
  • 700 ml water
  • 75 gram grated Parmesan cheese

From the pantry:

  • olive oil
  • pepper and salt

Nice and easy: click on the logo of your favorite supermarket to add the ingredients.

And this is how you make it:

  • Bake the minced meat (without oil) in a frying pan and let it drain in a colander. (Minced meat always releases a lot of fat and you don't want this in your sauce) 
  • Finely chop the onion, celery and carrot.
  • Take a deep pan (preferably a large skillet or frying pan) and heat a small dash of olive oil in it.
    Fry the onion, celery and carrot for about 5 minutes
  • Then add the minced meat and fry very briefly. Deglaze with the white wine and cook until the white wine has almost evaporated.
  • Then add the passata and water, along with some salt and pepper. Stir well and put a lid on the pan and let it cook on low heat for 2 to 2.5 hours
  • Note: If your sauce thickens too quickly, you can add some more water. If your sauce does not thicken quickly and remains too moist, you can add some flour.
  • The moisture should have almost evaporated and a meat sauce should have formed.
  • Then cook the orecchiette in a pan with water and 1 tsp salt. The orecchiette take about 14 minutes to cook. 
  • Drain the pasta, return to the pan and add the sauce. Stir well and serve with Parmesan cheese. 
  • Delicious bites!
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Authentic Italy Bari and its orecchettie and orecchiette recipe are a contribution from Tim of “la Cucina di Tim”, be sure to take a look at his website!

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Delicious Happen is a multi-media company, so you can also find me on various social media. follow me on FacebookPinterest en Instagram under @delicioushappen. If you make this recipe I would love it if you tagged me #delicioushappen. A comment below in the comments is also nice of course!

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