Best Cavatelli Pasta Recipes

HOMEMADE CAVATELLI PASTA

Steps:

• Mix semolina flour and salt in a large bowl or on a marble work surface. Make a well in the center.
• Pour water into the well a little at a time, mixing it with the flour. Add as much water as needed to make a sticky but compact dough.
• Knead dough with your hands by flattening the ball, stretching it, and folding the top towards the center. Turn 45 degrees and repeat until dough is elastic and smooth, but not too soft, about 10 minutes.
• Shape dough into a ball. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes before using. If you are using the cavatelli within a few hours or the following day, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator.
• Work with one portion of the dough at a time, keeping the remaining dough covered to keep it from drying out. Dust a work surface with semolina flour; roll out the dough to make a rope, about 1/3 inch thick.
• Cut off little 1/3-inch-thick pieces. Press and gently drag the small piece of dough towards you with your index and middle finger. The two sides will curl inwards, leaving hollow spaces.
• Proceed the same way with the rest of the dough. Transfer cavatelli to a floured surface and sprinkle with more semolina flour. Do not overlap cavatelli or they will stick together. Let dry for about 30 minutes before cooking.

CAVATELLI PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cook pasta until al dente in a pot of boiling, salted water.
• Heat the marinara sauce in a large saucepan. Reserve about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce. Set aside about 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan. To the sauce, add the ricotta and remaining Parmesan and stir well. Cook over medium heat, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and the butter and toss well. Top with the reserved marinara and mozzarella and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Garnish with fresh basil.

CAVATELLI PASTA WITH LOBSTER, SPRING PEAS, AND MASCARPONE

Steps:

• Cook lobsters (if necessary):
• In 10- to 12-quart pot, bring salted water to boil. Plunge in 2 lobsters headfirst, then boil, covered, 10 (for 1 1/4-pound lobsters) to 11 minutes (for 1 1/2-pound lobsters) from time they enter water. Transfer with tongs to sink to drain. Return water to boil, and cook remaining lobsters in same manner.
• When lobsters are cool enough to handle, remove meat from tails and claws. Discard or reserve for another use tomalley, any roe, and shells, and wipe off any coagulated white albumin from meat. Cut meat into 3/4-inch pieces and chill, covered, at least 1 hour.
• Make cavatelli:
• Bring large pot salted water to boil. Add cavatelli and boil until cavatelli float to surface, about 8 minutes. Drain, then immediately plunge cavatelli into ice water to stop cooking. Transfer to large bowl, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, and toss to coat.
• In heavy large sauté pan over moderately high heat, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add shallots and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, peas, parsley, thyme, chives, pasta, Mascarpone, and lobster. Stir to combine, then simmer until lobster is heated through, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

PORK SHOULDER BRAISED WITH PORCINI AND RED WINE WITH CAVATELLI PASTA AND SAUCE VERDE

Steps:

• For the braised pork: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Toss the pork cubes with the salt and pepper and half of the oregano in a bowl. Place the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl just large enough to accommodate them and pour the hot water over the top; let stand for 30 minutes to rehydrate.
• Meanwhile, place an enameled 6-quart Dutch oven or other heavy, oven-safe pot over medium heat on the stovetop. Add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the seasoned pork cubes, working in 2 batches so as to not crowd the pot. Cook on all sides, turning once, until the pieces have begun to brown lightly. Set aside the browned pork cubes in a bowl. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook until softened and lightly caramelized, adding olive oil if bottom of pan becomes too dry. Add the garlic and continue to cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine to the pot to deglaze, scraping loose any browned bits. Add the porcini mushrooms and their liquid (be sure to prevent the sediment at the bottom of the bowl from pouring in), the broth, tomato sauce, bay leaf and remaining oregano and stir to incorporate. Return the pork to the pot and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Place the pot in the oven and cook for 2 1/2 hours. Remove the pork and check for tenderness. If the pork is not fork-tender, return to the oven and continue to braise for another 30 to 45 minutes. Let cool slightly and taste for seasonings.
• For the cavatelli pasta: Place the flour on a smooth work surface and add 1 teaspoon salt, stirring lightly with a fork to incorporate. Form the small pile of flour into a ring with room in middle to accommodate the eggs. Dump the eggs and yolks into the middle of the ring. Stir the eggs slowly with a fork to mix, then continuing with the fork, draw the flour into the eggs a little at a time, working the pile in a circular motion to bring the dough together without breaking the ring. Once the pasta dough has started to form, knead the dough, rolling and turning the ball until a smooth and silky dough is achieved. Wrap the pasta dough tightly in plastic wrap and let rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
• Lightly dust a work surface with semolina flour. Take the dough ball and roll it out to a 1-inch thickness. Cut the dough into 1/2-inch-thick slices and roll out to a 1/4-inch thickness. Run the long strips through the cavatelli machine to shape. Depending on your type of machine, the thickness of the long strips may vary slightly. The pasta can then be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days or cooked immediately.
• Boil a large pot of water over high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon salt and 6 cups of the pasta. Cook until slightly chewy, approximately 5 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
• For the sauce verde: Place olive oil, spinach, capers, lemon juice, pepper and parsley in a tall, slender container, such as a pitcher, and blend on high speed using an immersion blender until the sauce has the consistency of a thick paste, about 1 minute.
• To prepare the dish for plating, reheat the braised pork over medium heat. When the pork is steaming hot, add the cooked pasta. Allow the pork and pasta to cook another 2 to 3 minutes. If the sauce thickens too much, add some of the reserved pasta cooking water 1/4 cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Evenly divide the pork and pasta among 6 to 8 bowls. Spoon 1 tablespoon sauce verde over each bowl and top with a liberal grating of cheese.

GNOCCHETTI & CAVATELLI FROM A CORN-AND-WHEAT PASTA

Steps:

• Mix the ingredients together, holding back some of the water. Add more water as needed to incorporate the dry ingredients. Mixing can be done by hand in a bowl, on a wood board, or in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
• Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes by hand, adding water or flour as needed. The dough should be stiff but not breaking when it bends.
• Put the dough in a clean bag or a covered bowl and let it ferment for 6-12 hours. This long rest can be skipped, and it can also be done even if you haven't included sourdough starter in your dough. The bran/husk will still soften.
• Set 4-6 quarts of salted water to boil, and prepare a large generously floured baking sheet.
• Roll the dough out into a rectangle that's about ½ inch thick.
• Cut thin strips in the dough, also about ½ inch thick. A bench knife works well for this.
• Roll each strip to be a smooth tube about as thick as a pencil for gnocchetti, about twice as thick for cavatelli. Cover the dough that is not being rolled.
• When you have about five tubes, flour them generously and line them up side by side. Cut the tubes in pieces, about as big as chickpeas for gnocchetti and as big as raspberries for cavatelli.
• Toss the pieces around in more flour, making sure they are not stuck together.
• If making gnocchetti, transfer the pieces to the floured baking sheet with your bench knife, and continue until all the dough is rolled and cut.
• If making cavatelli, press and roll the pieces down gnocchi stripper with your thumb as in this video. Toss the cavatelli in more flour and transfer them to the floured baking sheet with your bench knife. Continue until all the dough is rolled, cut, and shaped.
• Boil the gnocchietti or cavatelli for 10 minutes, then drain the water.
• Place in a serving dish and add your sauce of choice.