Make This! Homemade Cavatelli Pasta

Homemade pasta may sound intimidating, but it's actually incredibly easy and totally worth the effort. Chef Massimo Bruno shares his cavatelli pasta recipe with us! We've also attached a video at the end of this post, so you can visualize all the elements.

Homemade Cavatelli Pasta

INGREDIENTS:

1 Ib Semolina di Grano (flour) plus more for dusting (it’s a thin ground semolina, you can find it at Italian specialty store like Lady York on Dufferin or Grande Cheese). In case you can’t find this semolina, regular semolina will be fine, it will be just harder to work but the flavour will be there.

Warm Water (it makes easier to work the dough) have at least half liter ready

Sea salt 

PREPARATION:

1) On a Pasta Board or on a regular working counter pour the semolina and form a Volcano.

2) Sprinkle fine sea salt on the flour and pour some warm water inside the hole until full. Slowly with the help of your finger or a fork start whisking the water with the semolina until dense. 

3) Start working the semolina with your finger tips until all the semolina is incorporated with the water. You’ll be really tempted to add more water right away, but wait and work the dough slowly with your hands until you really need more water, add a little until all the working surface is nice and clean and the dough starts to be all together.

4) Start kneading the dough, shredding slowly and rolling it back. This helps the dough and pasta consistency. Work the dough for at least 5 minutes until smooth.  If the dough feels too dry, wet lightly your hand, if too sticky add more semolina.

5) Create a log, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes. 

6) Cut the dough into half inch disc and start creating long cylinders. Make sure the working space you’re rolling is clean, if there is semolina it doesn’t roll well, once rolled, dust the cylinder with semolina, so it doesn’t stick . 

7) Once you rolled all the dough, cut the semolina into small gnocchi (1/4 inch), then with the help of your finger, put some pressure on it and pull the dough until creating a nice small shell…….make sure the surface you’re working on is rough, if you don’t have a pasta board or a wood working surface, use a big wood cutting board, so the dough will come nice and rough to absorb all the sauce flavor. 

Check out this video on how to make the dough for cavatelli or orecchiette:

--- Massimo Bruno is a Toronto-based chef who teaches cooking classes, hosts supper clubs, culinary tours of Italy and can come to your house/party and cook for you.