Cavatelli means ‘little hollows’ (related to the English word ‘cave’), a reference to its shell-like shape with hollows that are perfect for holding pasta sauce. Cavatelli appears all over southern Italy with all sorts of sauces, and is one of the most satisfying pastas to make. You can serve cavatelli with a simple tomato sauce (see video below) or puttanesca, sauce spiked with spicy Calabrian ‘nduja, or a pork sausage ragù. You’ll need a gnocchi board to get the traditional ridged shape of cavatelli rigate. There is a version made by just rolling the dough towards you on a work bench – called cavatelli lisce (smooth cavatelli) – but I don’t think it’s as much fun to make. Ideally make cavatelli, or any pasta, on a wooden bench as it will absorb excess moisture making the dough easier to roll and shape without needing to use extra flour for dusting. The semolina you use to dust the tray that holds the cavatelli is the slightly coarse product (called semola in Italian) rather than the twice-milled rimacinata semolina flour used to make the southern Italian pasta dough.
To make enough cavatelli to serve 4 as a starter, you’ll need:
Here’s how to make cavatelli:
Here’s how to cook cavatelli:
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