Today I made a traditional Italian pasta shape from Molise: let me show how easy is to delve into thee cavatelli technique and all you need are just flour, water and a pinch of salt.
I have to confess that one of the activity that gives me always a lot of satisfaction is making homemade pasta. Especially the weekends are the best time to dedicate to this passion because I can make different shapes and experiment with different ingredients combination.
What does cavatelli mean?
Cavatelli derives from the ancient Latin verb “cavare” which means to hollow. Cavatelli – pronounced kah-vah-telli in Italian, means in fact little hollows because their shell shape present a hollow in the middle, which allows them to collect extra sauce, making every bite delectable.
They originated from Molise region and are probably the most ancient shape of pasta dated back in the 1250. The most popular recipes are Cavatelli with tomatoes sauce, or with broccoli rabe.
What is the difference between cavatelli, orecchiette and gnocchi?
The main difference beetween cavatelli and orecchiette is their shape and texture. Cavatelli translates as ‘little hollows’, they have a ridged surface and are a little more puffy, almost like a gnocchi, but with a hollow in the middle.
Orecchiette or little ears, have a smoother surface and they are more flat with a delicate hollow in the middle. Both they are pairing well with sauces, but cavatelli can definitely entrap more sauces thanks to the their shape.
Both types of pasta are made with 3 ingredients : durum semolina flour, water and salt.
Gnocchi are instead a total different story: they are made with a combination of 00 flour, potatoes and eggs. The final result is a pillowy and airy texture that almost melts in the mouth, while cavatelli are more chewy.
Gnocchi are formed into dumpling-like shapes, while Cavatelli takes the form of small elongated shells. Both can be twirled by hand to create a distinctive hallow in the centre or use a gnocchi board. You could also use the back of a fork.
All three shapes can easily elevate any dish and are quite simple to make.
Cavatelli Pasta Recipe Ingredients
This Italian staples requires only 3 ingredients:
Semolina or durum wheat flour: is a harder flour that will better retain pasta shape and it is ideal to use for this shape and in general for any short type pasta such as orecchiette, trofie and malloreddus. You will need 300 gr of flour and I invite you to use a digital scale as it is more accurate. The ratio of flour and water is very important to ensure a great result.
Water: simple, easy, but lukewarm water, added to the flour will give you that chewy consistency that is divine! Use 5 fl oz. Approximately half of the weight and add a few tablespoons in case your dough results dry.
Salt: because everything taste better with a bit of salt!
And of course you will need a lots of love, because that love and dedication you will put into making your cavatelli dough will come through in every bite!
How to make cavatelli pasta recipe
To make cavatelli pasta by hand, follow these few simple steps and you will master the art of making this traditional Italian pasta dish in the comfort of your own kitchen.
STEP 1: Gather all necessary ingredients for the recipe. Form a volcano with the durum wheat flour. Place the water in the middle of the volcano and add the salt. Helping yourself with a fork start incorporating the flour with the water until you have a paste that you can start working with you hands. The dough will be a bit sticky at this stage.
STEP 2: Spread some semola flour on the work surface and knead the dough until it becomes smooth and it is elastic. It will take around 10 minutes. You will know it is ready when you impress a thumb in the dough and dough bounce back immediately. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes covered with a tea towel.
Why should I rest the dough? The resting period allows the flour to continue to hydrate, and the gluten to relax. If you skip this step it will be an epic disaster: your dough will be too elastic AND WILL NOT KEEP THE SHAPE!
Alternatively you can add the flour in a food processor and then add the water while you are mixing it with the flour. It will be faster, but I have to say that doing it by hand is the best way to go as you can really feel the dough coming together.
STEP 3: Now, tale the dough and with the knife divide in 4 equal part. Take a quarter and start rolling it out into a long thin rope about 1/2 inch in diameter.
STEP 4: Cut the rope into small pieces about half inch long.
STEP 5: Now shape the cavatelli: there are three methods to shape cavatelli:
Method 1: you can use your thumb and press the small pieces from left to right – or right to left if you are left-handed. This is very easy, but also will not give your that ridges surface that allows to retain more sauce.
Method 2 – my favorite: you can use a gnocchi board. Press down on the noodle and drag it away from you. This method will give you that typical ridges surface.
Method 3:if you don’t have a gnocchi board, you can use a fork, it will work well and will give you more deeper ridges on the cavatelli surface.
STEP 6: Repeat this process with each piece of dough until you have enough cavatelli for your desired serving size. After you’ve twirled a bunch, dust with some flour and use a dough scraper to lift the Cavatelli onto a cookie sheet, laying them out in one single file.
HOW LONG TO COOK HOMEMADE ORECCHIETTE
To cook your homemade cavatelli al dente you should proceed like any other kind of pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the cavatelli to the boiling water and stir gently so that they do not stick together. You will know they are ready when they are rising to the surface, this will take approximately 7-9 minutes. Once cooked, drain the pasta thoroughly and serve immediately with your favorite sauce. Always preserve a cup of the pasta cooking water – aka liquid gold!
BEST SAUCES FOR CAVATELLI
Cavatelli is a pasta shape that goes well with several sauces, here below are a few suggestions all on my blog:
Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce
HOW TO STORE CAVATELLI?
if you have dried them very well, the cavatelli can be stored in a cool, dry place for about a month.
Alternatively, you can freeze them. Place them on a tray well spaced out and put them in the freezer. After about an hour they will have already frozen a little. Then you can transfer them to freezer bags, which are more practical. It’s not necessary to thaw the cavatelli before cooking, but you can dip them directly into boiling salted water while still frozen. Freezing will work if you make a big batch.
Please let me know in the comments how you like this Homemade Cavatelli pasta recipe, and if you make it please leave a star rating! I would really love to hear from you!
Instructions
- STEP 1: Gather all necessary ingredients for the recipe. Form a volcano with the durum wheat flour. Place the water in the middle of the volcano and add the salt. Helping yourself with a fork start incorporating the flour with the water until you have a paste that you can start working with you hands. The dough will be a bit sticky at this stage.
- STEP 2: Spread some semola flour on the work surface and knead the dough until it becomes smooth and it is elastic. It will take around 10 minutes. You will know it is ready when you impress a thumb in the dough and dough bounce back immediately. (See notes for making dough with machine)
- Let the dough rest for 30 minutes covered with a tea towel. Why should I rest the dough? The resting period allows the flour to continue to hydrate, and the gluten to relax. If you skip this step it will be an epic disaster: your dough will be too elastic AND WILL NOT KEEP THE SHAPE!
- STEP 3: Now, tale the dough and with the knife divide in 4 equal part. Take a quarter and start rolling it out into a long thin rope about 1/2 inch in diameter.
- STEP 4: Cut the rope into small pieces about half inch long.
- STEP 5: Now shape the cavatelli: there are three methods to shape cavatelli:Method 1: you can use your thumb and press the small pieces from left to right – or right to left if you are left-handed. This is very easy, but also will not give your that ridges surface that allows to retain more sauce.Method 2 – my favorite: you can use a gnocchi board. Press down on the noodle and drag it away from you. This method will give you that typical ridges surface.Method 3:if you don’t have a gnocchi board, you can use a fork, it will work well and will give you more deeper ridges on the cavatelli surface.
- STEP 6: Repeat this process with each piece of dough until you have enough cavatelli for your desired serving size. After you’ve twirled a bunch, dust with some flour and use a dough scraper to lift the Cavatelli onto a cookie sheet, laying them out in one single file,
- STEP 7: To cook your homemade orecchiette al dente you should poceed like any other kind of pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the orecchiette to the boiling water and stir gently so that they do not stick together. You will know they are ready when they are rising to the surface, this will take approximately 7-9 minutes.
- Once cooked, drain the pasta thoroughly and serve immediately with your favorite sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
