In the traditional Apulian method of making homemade pasta, orecchiette were made with white flour, durum wheat semolina, and water. Small pieces of dough were then "dragged" with the tip of a knife to create a kind of shell shape, then flipped backwards with the tip of the thumb. In the traditional Apulian recipe, orecchiette are boiled together with broccoli or potatoes and served with a tomato sauce and pecorino cheese, or with garlic and oil. They are also known as "Recchie" and are sometimes served with vegetable ragù or lamb and ricotta ragù.