How about that for an unpretentious title?
I was converted to orichette not so long ago, in an Italian restaurant close to the office. They had an orichette dish on the menu, called Orecchiette alla barese that featured salsiccia, broccoli, and fresh tomatoes. When I ordered it, they ran out of broccoli, so I had it with zucchini, and it was this serendipidy that inspired our dinner. This is certainly a dinner to repeat.
Orichette in a tomato sauce
Saute chopped onions, diced carrots, and diced celery in some olive oil. Add minced garlic and tomato paste and continue sauteing. Add a can of chopped tomatoes, some vegetable stock, a splash of wine, a dusting of dry oregano, a teaspoon of smoked paprika, and pitted olives and bring the sauce to the boil. In a separate frying pan, fry a sausage cut into bite-sized pieces with sliced zucchini until both are golden brown. Add to the tomato sauce and continue simmering until the pasta is done.
Cook the orichette.
When the pasta is ready, set aside a cup of the cooking water.
Combine the pasta and the sauce with a handful of grated parmesan and some chopped parsley in a frying pan, and continue cooking until homogenized, adding a spash of pasta cooking water if neccessary.
Serve with a grating of parmesan.