Homemade Cavatelli With Leftover Sauce 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 WITH ROMAN CAULIFLOWER

Steps:

• Add 1 tablespoon of the salt and the cauliflower to a large pot of water and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Cook for 3 minutes, then remove the cauliflower from the water. Retain the water.
• Put half of the cauliflower into a blender along with 1 cup of the cooking water and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Blend until it turns into a puree. This will be the sauce for your pasta. You may need to add more of the cooking water to reach the desired consistency (as loose as tomato puree).
• Heat the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the shallots, red pepper flakes, and anchovies. Saute for 1 minute.
• Increase the heat to high and add the reserved cauliflower florets. Saute for 2 minutes while stirring.
• Add the puree to the pan and saute for 30 to 40 seconds while stirring.
• To the pot with the reserved cauliflower cooking water, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt, return the water to a boil over high heat, and add the cavatelli. Cook according to the package instructions until al dente, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta, stir it into the pan with the sauce, and cook everything together for 30 seconds. Add a couple more tablespoons of the pasta cooking water for a looser consistency, if desired.
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese.
• Drizzle each serving with olive oil and serve with extra grated cheese for sprinkling.

HOMEMADE CAVATELLI IN 3 EASY STEPS

Steps:

• Measure and sieve both flours and mound it on your kitchen worktop (preferably wooden).
• Using your hands, scoop out the center of your mound. Add water and extra virgin olive oil in the center.
• First with a fork then with your hands start to pull in flour to combine ingredients and form the dough.
• Knead for a 5-10 minutes until soft and smooth. Cover with a plastic wrap or a linen towel tucking the edges. Let rest for 10-15 minutes on the counter top to let the dough gain elasticity.
• Using a dough scraper cut off a piece from the dough ball.Roll it into a rope a bit more than ⅓ inch in diameter.Dust the work surface and the dough with some flour.
• Cut the rope into ⅓ inch "pillows".
• Using your index and middle finger press on the "pillow" curling it towards you.
• That's it!If the dough pieces start to stick to your finger, dust cavatelli with some more flour.
• Repeat the process with the rest of the dough.

HANDMADE ITALIAN RICOTTA CAVATELLI

Steps:

• Put 2 1/2 cups of the flour into a bowl, make a well in the flour, and add the cheese and eggs. Gradually work the mixture together, adding more flour if necessary, to make a soft but not sticky dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until it is smooth. Let the dough rest at room temperature, covered with an inverted bowl or wrapped in plastic, for 30 minutes.
• Form the dough into a round and cut into quarters. Working with one quarter at a time (cover the remaining dough with an inverted bowl to keep the dough from drying out), on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rope 1/4 inch in diameter. With a knife, cut the rope into 1/2-inch pieces. With your index and third fingers held together, gently press down on each piece, beginning at the top and moving down toward the bottom, dragging your fingers toward you and causing the pasta to roll over on itself. Transfer the formed pasta to a lightly floured jelly-roll pan and let dry at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
• Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil, and add the pasta. Cook until the cavatelli are al dente, 6 to 8 minutes. They're done when they float up to the top. Drain and toss the desired quantity with your favorite sauce. Freeze leftovers.

CAVATELLI WITH SARDINIAN MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large deep frying pan or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat.
• Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a fork, until it is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to moderately low and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pan. Stir in the onion and garlic.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, mint, parsley, water, salt, and 1 pinch of the saffron. Simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the cavatelli with the remaining pinch saffron until just done, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain the cavatelli and toss with the meat sauce, the basil, the reserved pasta water, and the cheese.
• Serve with additional Pecorino Romano.

CAVATELLI WITH TOMATO CAPER AND OLIVE SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook pasta. Drain.
• Meanwhile heat oil in saucepan. Add tomatoes, parsley, olives, caper and fennel seeds. Cook until tomatoes soften, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in lemon zest. Toss with pasta.