Orecchiette with Napoletana Sauce

Orecchiette is one of the less popular pasta shapes, but since I've read Jamie Oliver's book Jamie's Italy and saw the Italian mamas and their children sitting around a table making these interesting pasta shapes, I've been keen to make it myself. In Italian orrechio means "ear" so Orecchiette in essence means "little ears". It is made with a basic pasta dough and all it requires is just patience and a little bit of skill and before you know it you can be turning out beautiful orecchiette just like a real Italina mama. If all this is too much work for you, simply go to you nearest Italian deli or market and buy a different pasta shape this time. Orecchiette is ideal for just about any kind of sauce. The "little scoops" are just perfect for a ragu, Napoletana or even a cream based sauce, just make sure you make ample sauce, those "little ears" can absorb quite a lot of sauce. I chose a Napoletana sauce, because it is an healthier option and we have an abundance of tomatoes at the moment. You can find the recipes for my Napoletana sauce here and here.(this one is for large quantities)