Cavatelli Pasta

It is a rustic and easy to make pasta without the need for any fancy equipment. With only 3 ingredients and a little elbow grease, you’ll be well on your way to enjoying a homemade pasta that will pair with just about any sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups semolina flour (00 flour will work if you can’t find semolina)
• 1 cup warm water
• Pinch of salt

STEPS:

1. Dump all flour onto a clean work surface. Create a well in the middle and add most of the water, holding a small amount of water back to work with as you go.
2. Add the pinch of salt.
3. Using a fork, begin to mix the water while pulling small amounts of flour from the edges to the center. Slowly continue to incorporate the flour in this circular motion until all of the flour has been used.
4. Switch to using a scraper and begin to incorporate the dough together even more. It will still be sticky at this point. The flour has not been fully hydrated yet.
5. Once the dough starts coming together and there’s not a lot of excess flour floating around, begin to shape the dough into a ball using your hands.
6. Knead, knead, knead.
7. You’ll want to knead this dough for roughly ten minutes. If at any time it seems too dry or too wet, you can add more water or flour in very small amounts.
8. After kneading and shaping into a ball, the dough should look very uniform and smooth on the outside, no longer sticky. Poke the dough and you should see it spring back to its original shape.
9. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
10. After the dough is properly rested, you’ll want to cut it into four equal shapes. Take one of the four pieces to start. Cover the other three with a cotton towel or more plastic wrap until ready to use so they do not begin to dry out or form a skin on the outside.
11. Roll the dough into a long rope about half an inch in diameter. Cut the rope into pieces somewhere between half an inch to three quarters of an inch. You don’t want to cut them too large or they’re not going to boil correctly and you’ll have doughy and gummy pasta.
12. If you have a gnocchi board, get it out. If not, you can get one for about $10-15 online. And if you don’t want to purchase a gnocchi board at all, that’s totally fine as well. A sturdy fork will also work for this job.
13. Take the cut pieces of pasta and begin making your cavatelli shape. One piece at a time, use your forefinger and middle finger to firmly press down while also pulling the dough back towards you.
14. Whether you’re using the board or a fork, start towards the bottom, press down and pull towards the top of the board or fork.
15. The dough should start to curl up around the tips of your fingers, giving you a pocket shape on one side and ridges on the other.
16. Repeat and continue these steps until all the dough is used.
17. Almost done, you’re on the home stretch now.
18. Take your freshly shaped cavatelli and add to a large pot of boiling water. Boil for roughly eight minutes or until your desired level of doneness.
19. Serve immediately with your favorite sauce and/or veggies and protein.
20. This is easily enough pasta for two people to split, maybe even three. Enjoy!