# Handmade Orecchiette with Leek and Pea Cream Sauce

Laura Alpern shows how to make eggless pasta dough from equal parts semolina and all-purpose flour, shape it by thumb into cupped orecchiette without a pasta machine, and toss it in a pan sauce of butter-softened leeks, garlic, fresh thyme, lemon juice, chicken stock, peas and cream.

> Source: Cooking with Laura: Homemade Pasta
> Length: 11 min 9 s
> Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qLiOLNc_3Q
> Timestamps are AI estimates; check them against the video.

## Ingredients

| Ingredient | Amount |
| --- | --- |
| Semolina pasta flour | 2 cups |
| All-purpose flour | 2 cups (plus extra for dusting) |
| Cold water | About 3/4 cup to start, plus more by feel (total not stated in the video) |
| Leeks | Not stated in the video |
| Butter | Not stated in the video |
| Olive oil | Not stated in the video |
| Garlic cloves | 3 cloves |
| Fresh thyme leaves | About 1 tsp |
| Lemon | 1 (juiced) |
| Salt | Not stated in the video |
| Black pepper | A few cracks |
| Chicken stock | Not stated in the video |
| Frozen peas | Not stated in the video |
| Cream | Not stated in the video |
| Parmesan cheese | Not stated in the video |

## Method

1. In a large bowl, mix 2 cups of semolina pasta flour and 2 cups of all-purpose flour with a fork. (~00:33)

2. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in about 3/4 cup of cold water. (~01:14)

3. Swirl a fork from the inside out to draw flour into the water, splashing in a bit more cold water as needed until you can press it into a dough. (~01:29)

4. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter or silicone mat and knead by hand for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. (~02:18)

5. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes. (~02:50)

6. Lightly flour the work surface, unwrap the dough, and cut it into four equal quarters with a bench scraper or knife. (~03:16)

7. Roll one quarter into a rope about 1/2 inch thick, then cut the rope into small, bite-sized pieces. (~03:44)

8. Roll each piece into a small ball, press your thumb into it, and drag it toward you across the mat to form a cupped orecchiette shell. (~04:06)

9. Spread the shaped orecchiette on a baking sheet and dust lightly with flour so they don’t stick. (~04:47)

10. Slice the cleaned leeks into thin rounds and soak them in a large bowl of cold water for a few minutes without stirring so any grit sinks, then lift the leeks out and drain. (~05:08)

11. Grate 3 garlic cloves into a paste on a microplane, and strip and chop about 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves. (~05:58)

12. Melt butter with a splash of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, then sauté the drained leeks until soft. (~08:08)

13. Stir in the grated garlic, chopped thyme, a pinch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper. (~08:42)

14. Pour in the juice of 1 lemon and the chicken stock, then bring to a gentle simmer. (~09:05)

15. Tip the frozen peas straight into the simmering sauce. (~09:21)

16. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, drop in the orecchiette, stir gently so they don’t stick, and boil for 7 to 8 minutes until they float. (~09:41)

17. Stir a splash of cream and grated Parmesan into the sauce skillet just until warmed through. (~10:13)

18. Drain the pasta, return it to the pot, pour the leek and pea cream sauce over the top, and toss well before serving. (~10:31)

## Making and Resting the Eggless Dough (~00:10)

Combine equal parts semolina pasta flour and all-purpose flour, make a well in the middle, and work in cold water a little at a time until you can gather the dough by hand. Knead on a silicone mat or lightly floured counter for about 5 minutes until smooth and springy, then wrap tightly in plastic and rest for 30 minutes so the gluten relaxes before shaping.

## Shaping Orecchiette by Thumb (~03:05)

Cut the rested dough into four pieces. Roll one piece into a rope about 1/2 inch thick, cut it into small nuggets, roll each into a ball, and press-and-drag with your thumb across the mat so it curls into a little ear-shaped cup. Dust the tray with flour so the finished pieces don’t stick together.

## Washing the Leeks and Building the Sauce (~04:57)

Because grit hides between the layers of a leek, slice the rounds first and let them sit in a big bowl of cold water without stirring — the sand sinks to the bottom and you can lift the clean leeks right off the top. Soften them in butter and a little olive oil, stir in grated garlic and thyme, brighten with lemon juice, simmer with chicken stock and frozen peas, and finish with cream and Parmesan.

## To verify

- The video does not give exact measurements for the butter, olive oil, salt, chicken stock, frozen peas, cream or Parmesan cheese.
- Additional cold water for the pasta dough is added by feel after the initial 3/4 cup, so the exact total volume isn’t measured.

## Source and license

Original video: [Cooking with Laura: Homemade Pasta](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qLiOLNc_3Q)

Creator: Northampton Community Television · Laura Alpern

License: [CC BY 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) · [License record](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cooking_with_Laura_Homemade_Pasta.webm)

Notes generated, translated and reviewed by VidQuire, with wording and timestamp edits. Cover still extracted from the source video. No affiliation or endorsement.