Cavatappi Alla Siciliana Recipes

CAVATELLI ALLA VODKA

Steps:

• Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil and butter and cook until foaming. Add the onions, season with a little salt and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for another minute. Add the crushed red pepper, garlic and some salt and pepper. Cook for 15 more seconds. Add the vodka and deglaze the pan. Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer until the alcohol smell subsides, then add the cream. Let it cook down until it is slightly reduced and flavorful, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Cook the pasta to al dente, 4 to 5 minutes for fresh, or according to the package instructions.
• Toss the sauce with the hot pasta and garnish with fresh basil and grated Parm. Serve with a crusty hunk of Italian bread.
• Combine the 00 and semolina flours with the salt on a clean working surface, form into a mound and make a well in the center. Combine the water, olive oil and salt and add the mixture a little at a time (see Cook's Note). Using a fork, start to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until a shaggy mass forms. Knead vigorously until the dough is smooth, elastic and bounces back when pressed, about 10 minutes.
• Cut the dough in half and work with one piece at a time (cover the other piece with a clean, damp kitchen towel). Using a bench scraper or knife, cut a walnut-sized piece of dough and roll it into a thin rope about 1/3 inch in diameter. Using the 4 fingers of your hand (no thumb), roll the rope of dough back and forth until it is a long, slender, tube-like shape (but not enclosed like a tube). Halve the pieces of pasta lengthwise. Set aside on a clean town sprinkled with semolina flour. Repeat with the remaining dough. Rest the pasta for 30 minutes.
• To cook, generously salt a large pot of boiling water. Add the cavatelli and cook until al dente, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and use with your sauce recipe of choice.

CANNOLI ALLA SICILIANA (SICILIAN CANNOLI)

Steps:

• Beat ricotta cheese and 1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar together in a bowl until smooth. Stir in mixed peel and chocolate. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.
• Mix flour, Marsala wine, butter, sugar, and vinegar together in a bowl to make cannoli dough. Wrap in plastic wrap; let rest for 30 minutes.
• Knead dough on a lightly floured work surface until smooth. Roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into twenty 4-inch squares. Wrap each square around a metal tubular mold, overlapping ends and dabbing with warm water to seal.
• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Lower some cannoli molds into the hot oil; cook until shells are golden and crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining cannoli molds. Cool briefly; twist molds carefully to remove shells. Let shells cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• Fill cooled cannoli shells with ricotta filling using a spoon or piping bag. Arrange cannoli on a serving platter. Garnish with pistachios; sprinkle 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar on top.

EASY CHILI CAVATAPPI

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in a large pot; add salt. Pour cavatappi into the boiling water and cook until tender but firm to the bite, 10 to 12 minutes; drain and rinse cavatappi.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic in the hot oil until onion is softened and transparent, 5 to 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and stir ground beef into onion mixture. Cook and stir until ground beef is browned and crumbly, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain excess grease and return skillet to heat.
• Mix tomato sauce, chili powder, and cumin into ground beef mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato sauce is heated through, about 3 minutes. Stir cavatappi into meat sauce until evenly coated; add black beans and pepper. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until flavors have blended, about 5 minutes.

CARRABBA'S CAVATAPPI AMATRICIANA (SIDE DISH PASTA)

Steps:

• Cook cavatappi according to package directions; drain.
• Saute onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes in olive oil over medium heat till onions are soft and translucent.
• Add white wine and cook till nearly evaporated.
• Stir in tomatoes with their juice till slightly thickened (3-5 minutes).
• Taste, and add salt and pepper as desired.
• Mix into cooked cavatappi.
• Toss with cheese.
• Add cooked pancetta (optional).

CAVATAPPI ALLA SICILIANA

Steps:

• 1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt generously. 2. Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a large frying pan and sautée eggplant till golden. Remove to a bowl. Add onion and garlic. Over medium heat, cook for about 7 minutes, or until the onion is softened not browned. Stir in the tomatoes, season with s & p and raise the heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium or medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 min, or until the tomatoes have thickened into a sauce. 3. Sprinkle with the mint, balsamic vinegar, capers and olives and simmer for 5 minutes more. Add the sauteed eggplant. 3. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta in a colander. 4. Transfer the pasta to the frying pan and gently toss the pasta and sauce to combine thoroughly, adding a splash or two of cooking water if necessary to loosen the sauce. Serve with the cheese sprinkled on top. *Peeling and grating tomatoes works beautifully and produces a lovely fine pulp that requires no additional milling. Here's how to do it: Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with your fingers. Place a box grater over a bowl. Hold the cut side of a tomato flat against the large holes of the grater and grate the tomato, pressing it gently, until only the skin is left in your palm. Continue until you have grated all the tomato halves.

CASSATA ALLA SICILIANA

Steps:

• In a microwavable bowl, melt the butter.
• Add the coffee and the chocolate chips and stir until melted and smooth. You might need to microwave the mixture a few short times to allow full melting of the chocolate chips.
• Once it's all melty and smooth, put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice so it can cool down and firm up.
• Stir every 10-15 minutes to keep it smooth as it firms.
• Then start on the filling: Mix the ricotta with the sugar, orange zest and grated chocolate.
• After the pound cake has cooled, slice it into three horizontal layers.
• Drizzle the Grand Marier over all the layers.
• Then spread half the filling on the bottom layer, top with the next cake layer and spread with the remaining filling.
• Then top with the third layer of cake and spread the frosting on top and all over.
• Refrigerate until dinner.
• Drizzle the Gand Marnier.

EGGPLANT CAPONATA (SICILIAN VERSION)

Steps:

• Toss eggplant with salt and place in a colander set over a bowl. Let sit, about 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add celery; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is soft and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet. Add eggplant and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in celery mixture, tomatoes, olives, capers, tomato paste, and oregano. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until caponata is thickened, about 15 minutes.
• Season caponata with vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with parsley.