Pasta di semola (semolina-and-water pasta) is the foundation of southern Italian pasta-making—a firm, elastic dough of durum wheat semolina (semola di grano duro rimacinata) and water (no eggs), which forms the base for orecchiette, cavatelli, fusilli, fileja, lagane, strascinati, and virtually every traditional pasta shape of Puglia, Calabria, Basilicata, Sicily, Sardinia, and Campania. This is the other great Italian pasta tradition, as important as the northern egg pasta but fundamentally different in character: semolina-water pasta is chewy, firm, and toothsome where egg pasta is tender and silky; it holds robust sauces in its rough surfaces and irregular shapes where egg pasta envelops delicate butter and cream sauces. The distinction reflects geography and agriculture: the south's hot, dry climate is ideal for durum wheat (grano duro), a harder, higher-protein wheat that produces the yellow, granular semolina flour, while the north's cooler, wetter climate suited soft wheat (grano tenero) and abundant egg production. Semolina-water dough is simple but demanding: fine semolina (rimacinata—re-milled to a finer grind than coarse semola) is mixed with warm water (about 45-50% hydration) and kneaded vigorously for 10-15 minutes until smooth. The dough is stiffer and more resistant than egg pasta, requiring serious arm strength—traditional southern Italian women developed powerful forearms from daily kneading. The shapes are all formed by hand: dragged across a wooden board (strascinati, orecchiette), wrapped around a wire or stick (fusilli, fileja), cut into pieces and pressed with the thumb (cavatelli, malloreddus). Each region, each town, each family has its preferred shapes, and the hand-forming techniques are passed through generations as a living craft.
Semola di grano duro rimacinata + warm water (no eggs). Knead vigorously 10-15 minutes. Stiffer, more resistant dough than egg pasta. Hand-shape into regional forms. Chewy, firm texture that holds robust sauces. The pasta of southern Italy.
Use rimacinata (finely re-milled) semolina—coarse semola is for dusting, not dough. The water should be warm (about 40°C)—it hydrates the semolina faster and makes kneading easier. A rough wooden surface (not smooth marble) gives hand-shaped pasta the textured surface that grips sauce. Let the dough rest 30 minutes minimum before shaping. A spray of water on the board while dragging orecchiette helps them grip and curl.
Using tipo 00 flour (wrong flour—must be durum semolina). Adding eggs (this is a water-only dough). Not kneading enough (the dough needs aggressive working). Using cold water (warm water hydrates semolina better). Expecting egg-pasta tenderness (semolina pasta is meant to be chewy and firm).
Oretta Zanini De Vita, Encyclopedia of Pasta; Marcella Hazan, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking