Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Pasta in the shape of small ears.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A type of pasta, made with the thumb from a small disk, typically from Puglia.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Italian, pl. of orecchietta, diminutive of orecchia, ear, from Latin auricula, ear; see auricle.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Italian little ears

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Examples

  • RECIPE serves one hungry woman cavatelli pugliesi (or other pasta such as orecchiette) one small shallot, finely diced butter

    Archive 2007-08-01 myriam 2007

  • RECIPE serves one hungry woman cavatelli pugliesi (or other pasta such as orecchiette) one small shallot, finely diced butter

    last minute pasta gone fancy myriam 2007

  • Certain flour-and-water pastas, such as orecchiette from Apulia, pici from Tuscany, and trofie from Liguria, to name a few, are still often made by hand, although they usually are not made entirely with hard-wheat flour.

    How To Cook Italian Giuliano Hazan 2005

  • Several chefs who are represented in Las Vegas, including Francois Payard and Jet Tila , came out for the dinner of pepperoni rrrostiti, frito misto, orecchiette with broccoli rappe and sausage, and, of course, Uncle Vincent's famous lemon chicken.

    Snagging a Dinner at Rao's Marshall Heyman 2011

  • The food, Mr. Carmellini says, is "comfortable," but "never in the sloppy way" — apt words for his legendary lamb meatball sliders and orecchiette with homemade duck sausage.

    Fall Insalata With Green Apple and Fennel 2010

  • The caramelized cauliflower orecchiette and the ricotta gnocchi with sweet sausage are particularly good.

    No License, No Worry Here Lettie Teague 2011

  • For her second Slow Food Fast contribution, Ms. Bloomfield shares a recipe for orecchiette with cauliflower, sweet onions, garlic, anchovies, rosemary and Parmesan.

    Cauliflower and Anchovy Orecchiette Kitty Greenwald 2011

  • Their hostess, a skilled home cook, wowed them with the vegetable-laden sauce and hand-made orecchiette a small ear-shaped pasta.

    Cauliflower and Anchovy Orecchiette Kitty Greenwald 2011

  • Try the stellar steak tartara Piedmontese, grandmother's ravioli, orecchiette with homemade duck sausage and broccoli rabe or the mountain trout with lentils and pancetta.

    Fact And Comment 2010

  • Try the stellar steak tartara Piedmontese, grandmother's ravioli, orecchiette with homemade duck sausage and broccoli rabe or the mountain trout with lentils and pancetta.

    Restaurants: Go, Consider, Stop 2010

Comments

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  • I love that this means "litte ears." How unappetizing! And yet, in Italian, it's the cutest word.

    October 18, 2007

  • Actually my favourite kind of pasta, so we can add tastiest to cutest. Seems to me most closely associated with Apulia.

    November 23, 2007