Pasta Week - Day 1: Veal Orecchiette

If any of you are like me, you probably recycle the same old pasta recipes week after week. I tend to always make a very delicious beef bolognese with cappellin or mac 'n cheese. Delicious, but after a while you get bored and want to try something new. So I am making an effort to try pasta recipes I haven't tried before. I won't be making my own pasta this time around, but maybe next time I will.

I am starting out the week with a veal orecchiette dish. I've never really had orecchiette before, and other than veal parm, haven't had veal with pasta. What I liked about this dish is that it's easy and fast to make, and the flavors are just so perfectly balanced making this dish a keeper.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1 Medium onion chopped finely
1 Garlic clove minced
1 pound ground veal
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp chopped thyme (preferably fresh)
1/2 tsp chopped rosemary
2 Tbsp capers drained and rinsed
3/4 pound orecchiette
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to taste

• In a large deep skillet, heat olive oil.
• Add the onion and garlic; cook over medium high heat until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the veal and season with salt and pepper.
• Raise heat to high.
• Cook veal until it's no longer pink and any liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes.
• Add wine and boil over high heat until nearly evaporated.
• Add chicken stock, thyme, rosemary and capers; simmer over medium heat until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook orecchiette in boiling salted water until al dente.
• Drain cooked orecciette and add to skillet along with cheese, parsley, and butter.
• Stir over medium heat until sauce is thick and creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Serve in bowl and enjoy!