Homemade Cavatelli
A visual artist and proprietor of Helene Morse Conservation Services, Helene loves to cook for friends and family, especially her five grandchildren.
The recipe I use to make Grandma Minnillo’s cavatelli is adapted from the Cavatelli Maker machine’s instruction manual and my grandmother’s original recipe. I use a cup of mashed potatoes with butter, made fresh. My grandmother used instant mashed potatoes and margarine. I replace the ricotta in the machine’s recipe with mashed potatoes for my lactose intolerance family/friends. This recipe makes 454 grams (1 pound), but I always double for a 907 gram (2 pound) batch.
Ingredients
- 480 grams (4 cups) all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting board
- 473 ml (2 cups) mashed potatoes*
- 113 grams (4 ounces) butter, at room temperature
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) salt
*For classic cheese cavatelli, instead of potatoes use 237 ml (1 cup) ricotta cheese, 1 egg, and 59 ml (1/4 cup) milk.
Preparation
- Sift flour into a bowl. Make a well in the center and add all the other ingredients. Begin to press together and knead with your hands.
2. Remove dough from the bowl and knead* for 3 minutes on a lightly floured wooden board or table top. Cut dough in half, cover with a dampened dishtowel, and allow to rest for 45 minutes.
3. Roll the halves out into 1.27 cm (½ inch) thick disks. Dust with cornmeal and flour to prevent sticking when rolling through the machine. Cut lengths of “ links,” pinching the ends before inserting into the machine.
*A food processor is can be used to knead dough. But it’s not the way Grandma would do it.
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Helene Morse
Helene Morse is a conservator of art; a skilled restorer of ceramics. Trained as a sculptor, Helene can make missing parts; arms, fingers, chips, ears, noses etc…for broken, but prized pieces. She loves to cook when not creating or repairing. Her specialty is “whip-ups,” her own recipes from ingredients in the refrigerator, freezer or pantry!
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