Fresh Orecchiette with Chorizo and Chickpeas

I get tired of Christmas leftovers really quickly. By Boxing Day I'm like "I don't want to see another slice of turkey until Clark Griswold is choosing his Christmas tree again".  I make Bang Bang Turkey once and then it's "Let's have an orecchiette party". I invite my friends over, pour some drinks, make some dough and get my buddies into help me roll "little ears" of pasta. Many thumbs make light work... or something like that.



Fresh Orecchiette with Chorizo and Chickpeas
adapted from here
Serves 4

For the Orecchiette:
300g Bakers Flour
160g fine semolina
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
170 -200ml lukewarm water

For the Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 chorizo sausage (about 150g), casing removed and broken into pieces
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
50g parmesan grated, plus extra for topping the pasta
3 tablespoon finely chopped parsley leaves
200ml single cream
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Make the Orecchiette:
Put the flour, semolina and salt into a bowl and stir to combine, Make a well in the centre and pour in the water, Using your hands, mix until the mixture comes together into a shaggy dough. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead for about 5 minutes until it is a smooth dough. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and rest it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough into six even portions and, working with one portion at a time, roll it out into a long log about 1cm in diameter, then cut it into 2mm thick discs. Press each disc firmly with your thumb, rolling it on the bench to create a "little ear" shape. Place the orecchiette on baking trays sprinkled with semolina and leave to dry for an hour before cooking.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add a generous handful of salt and boil the orecchiette for about 3 minutes, or until al dente.

Make the Sauce:
Put the pieces of chorizo and the garlic into a food processor and blitz until it's a rough crumble.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the chorizo and garlic and fry over medium heat until starting to go slightly golden. Add the chickpeas and cream and cook until the cream thickens slightly. Remove from the heat, add the parmesan and parsley and stir to combine. Tip the cooked orechiette into the sauce and stir. Add a little of the pasta cooking water if it seems a little dry. Serve with extra parmesan at the table.