Cavatelli are a pasta format typical to the regions of Southern Italy – especially Molise, Puglia, Campania, Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily – where they feature many different names. Made from a mixture of re-ground durum wheat semolina flour (sometimes with the addition of potatoes or bean flour), water and salt, this pasta features a hollow shell of different sizes that allow them to better hold the sauce – traditionally made of tomato and salted ricotta cheese, or tomato and minced meat.
In some areas of Italy, cavatelli are served together with meat as a single dish. In Campobasso, for example, they are cooked with tomato sauce and accompanied by pork chops. In Petrella Tifernina (also in Molise), they are cooked with pieces of sausage and tomato sauce, a very tasty and full-flavored combination.
Making cavatelli at home requires just a little patience and skill. Here, we share our advice and pro tips for the best result.
Mix the semolina flour and water in proportions of about 2 to 1 (10 oz. semolina flour for 4 ½ oz. of water) with a pinch of salt.
Work the dough for a good amount of time until you have a smooth, firm, consistent and dense “brick.” Let dough rest covered for about three hours.
Form a few rectangles of dough – from these, you will cut 1.5 cm. wide pieces.
Create a shell or bowled shape with the pasta, using the blade of a knife. Push blade into the surface of the rectangular 1.5 cm piece until the dough curls around the edges to create a sort of shell shape.