Had a gift card and wanted to treat myself to a little something.  Not surprising, something kitchen-related came to mind.  Had this (cavatelli) pasta machine on my wishlist.  The reviews were mixed, but with little self-restraint when it comes to fun, little kitchen gadgets, I had to have it.  I envisioned bowls and bowls of handmade cavatelli — with red sauce, with pesto, with lamb ragu, you name it.  With a simple click of the mouse, it would soon be mine.

A few days later the cavatelli machine arrived and I couldn’t wait to take it out of the box.  Mixed the dough. Let it rest.  Rolled it out.  Homemade cavatelli, here we come.

My first attempt…not a complete disaster, but let’s just say I was not happy, to say the least.  Not sure what went wrong that first go around, but the results were less than stellar.  The dough kept getting stuck in the machine, the cavatelli were all misshapen and sad-looking.

Was all ready to send it back.  Cleaned it, put it back in its box, and printed out the return label.  While doing so, decided to give the (misshapen) cavatelli I had managed to roll out a try.  Boiled some water and dropped them in.  Within minutes, they floated to the surface, and I scooped them out.  And…

Just one bite and hmm, I like.  I like a lot.  Soft and tender, with just a little chew.  Maybe I need to rethink sending you back.

So, I practiced a few more times, and I quickly got the hang of it.  And, now that I got it down, I love this little gadget.  So, lesson learned — sometimes you shouldn’t be so quick to judge.  Sometimes it’s me, not you.

This is what I found works the best:  Roll the dough out about 1/2″ thick.  Cut about 3/4″ thick long strips.  Lightly flour the rollers (rice flour works well for this) and feed the strip of dough in slowly.  Crank the handle slowly.  If you crank too fast, the cavatelli tend to stick together in the machine.

Perfect with a simple red sauce…

Ricotta Cavatelli = flour + egg + fresh ricotta + pinch of sea salt

Also tasty with [spicy lamb Merguez] sausage and broccoli rabe (aka rapini)…

 

Ricotta Cavatelli

makes 2 pounds 
1 pound (~ 3 cups) all-purpose flour
1 pound fresh ricotta
2 eggs
pinch of sea salt

Equipment needed:
Cavatelli pasta machine

Measure out the flour on a clean work surface.  Form a mound and make a well in the center.  Crack the eggs in the center.  Add a pinch of salt.  With a fork (or your finger) work the egg into the flour.  Add the ricotta and work it into the egg-flour mixture (you may not need all the flour).  Continue until well incorporated.  Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and gently knead until smooth.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

Lightly flour your work surface.  Roll out the dough to approximately 1/2″ thick.  Cut into 3/4″ wide strips.

Lightly flour the rollers of the cavatelli machine.  Feed the dough through the rollers and slowly crank the handle.  Continue until all the cavatelli are rolled out.  Sprinkle the cavatelli with a little (rice) flour to prevent sticking.  Let dry at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Drop in the cavatelli.  After a few minutes, they’ll float to the top, they’re done.

Note: Overly wet dough will get stuck in the machine.  Make sure your dough isn’t too wet; if too wet, add more flour.

You can freeze the uncooked cavatelli for up to one month.

 

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19 comments

Reply

wow – gorgeous!!! You can't beat the taste of homemade pasta, it is a bit of work, but I think you planted an idea in my mind…

Wonderful pictures, too.

Reply

wow – gorgeous!!! You can't beat the taste of homemade pasta, it is a bit of work, but I think you planted an idea in my mind…

Wonderful pictures, too.

Reply

WOW!! I've had ricotta gnocchi in an Italian restaurant but never found the recipe (all recipes I found used spinach) I think this is going to be close – but I think they'd be even lighter with the cavatelli maker. ON my wish list – thanks for all the great tips.

Reply

WOW!! I've had ricotta gnocchi in an Italian restaurant but never found the recipe (all recipes I found used spinach) I think this is going to be close – but I think they'd be even lighter with the cavatelli maker. ON my wish list – thanks for all the great tips.

Reply

Next to cooking, travelling is my favourite hobby – seeing I have just been from Africa to the Americas to Southern Europe throught your recipes, I am so glad you dropped me a line and I got to discover your blog

Reply

Next to cooking, travelling is my favourite hobby – seeing I have just been from Africa to the Americas to Southern Europe throught your recipes, I am so glad you dropped me a line and I got to discover your blog

Reply

Afra, thanks for stopping by. It's great to meet others who share similar interests.

Reply

Afra, thanks for stopping by. It's great to meet others who share similar interests.

Reply

I just made and froze some yesterday after finally treating myself to the 'machina". Do you have links to the two recipes for serving that you posted the photos?

Reply

I just made and froze some yesterday after finally treating myself to the 'machina". Do you have links to the two recipes for serving that you posted the photos?

Reply

I have not post recipes to the two photos in the post. Just included them as a few suggestions showing the versatility of the cavatelli. The first is just a simple red sauce (I like to throw an anchovy into my sauce) with some shaved Parmesan (and a handful of arugula). Drizzled with a little olive oil and peperoncino flakes. The second was sauteed broccoli rabe (aka rapini) and a spicy lamb sausage, grated Parmesan and peperoncino flakes. Hope you enjoy!

Reply

I have not post recipes to the two photos in the post. Just included them as a few suggestions showing the versatility of the cavatelli. The first is just a simple red sauce (I like to throw an anchovy into my sauce) with some shaved Parmesan (and a handful of arugula). Drizzled with a little olive oil and peperoncino flakes. The second was sauteed broccoli rabe (aka rapini) and a spicy lamb sausage, grated Parmesan and peperoncino flakes. Hope you enjoy!

Reply

Just wanted to come and thank you again for this recipe. I've made these 5 or 6 times already – each time makes loads for the freezer! I got the attachment that goes on my imperia machine. With your advice – it works great – and so much fun too. Having them tonight (fresh) with sautéed zucchini. One of our new faves.

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Just wanted to come and thank you again for this recipe. I've made these 5 or 6 times already – each time makes loads for the freezer! I got the attachment that goes on my imperia machine. With your advice – it works great – and so much fun too. Having them tonight (fresh) with sautéed zucchini. One of our new faves.

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Hi Suzy, so happy to hear that! It's hard to go wrong with homemade pasta.

Reply

Hi Suzy, so happy to hear that! It's hard to go wrong with homemade pasta.

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I know this is a few years after your original Cavatelli post…but wanted to thank you! I bought the machine a couple of years ago and had a disaster! Didn’t even attempt to cook them. I never return anything, LOL!

So, you’ve inspired me to dig up my machine and try again with your tips and recipe! Great pics, too!

Reply

Hi Michele, I have a love-hate relationship with the cavatelli maker as well. My first attempt was a bit of a disaster. Hope this attempt goes well for you. Happy cooking! -Linda

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Hello,
your pasta looks great, only in Italy the Cavatelli look a little different. The kind of pasta you did here is called Gnocchetti Sardi.

There is no need for a maschine to do them as far as you just roll them with your fingers 😀

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