Homemade Cavatelli
A visual artist and proprietor of Helene Morse Conservation Services, Helene loves to cook for friends and family, especially her five grandchildren.
This recipe is featured in Grandma Minnillo's Cavatelli
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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