To make orecchiette, we sampled ourselves. We gelatinized our What If flour. We whisked together 500 grams of water and 100 grams of What If flour. We put the mixture in a stainless steel bowl set in a pressure cooker with 2 inches of water in the bottom. We cooked the mixture for 20 minutes at high pressure and let the pressure dissipate naturally. Then we pureed the starch mixture in a food processor and let it cool. When it was cold, we made pasta dough. We combined 200 grams of the gelatinized starch puree and 200 grams of What If flour. We reserved the additional gelatinized starch for other applications. We kneaded the flour and the puree together, without adding any additional water, until it turned into a pliable dough. Then we rolled it into logs, cut them into 1-inch pieces, and shaped the dough into little ears. When we were done, we made a quick butter and cheese sauce, spiked with black pepper. The orecchiette were tender and chewy, with a slightly sweet flavor, enhanced by the sauce. Now the doors are open for exploration.
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