Cavatelli With Ragù Food

CAVATELLI WITH MUSHROOM BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook until foaming. Add the onions, season with a little salt and saute about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Next, add the mushrooms and some salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms have released all their liquid, about 5 minutes more. Add the peas and cook until heated through, another 2 minutes. Keep warm.
• Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Cook the cavatelli pasta to al dente, 4 to 5 minutes for fresh, or according to the package instructions. Set a strainer over a large heatproof measuring cup in the sink and carefully drain the pasta, reserving 2 cups of pasta water.
• Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. When melted, add the Pecorino Romano and 1 cup pasta water, whisking vigorously. Whisk in the cream. Add the pasta and toss to coat. Season with salt and add additional pasta water if the sauce is too thick. Stir in the mushroom mixture.
• Serve immediately, garnishing with additional freshly ground black pepper and freshly grated cheese.
• Combine the 00 and semolina flours with the salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse a couple times. Add the olive oil and 1 cup room-temperature water to the flour mixture and pulse a few more times. Mix until a shaggy mass forms, then turn out onto a clean surface. Knead vigorously until the dough is smooth, elastic and bounces back when pressed, about 10 minutes.
• Cut the dough in half and work with one piece at a time (cover the other piece with a clean, damp kitchen towel). Using a bench scraper or knife, cut a walnut-sized piece of dough and roll it into a thin rope about 1/3 inch in diameter. Using the 4 fingers of your hand (no thumb), roll the rope of dough back and forth until it is a long, slender, tube-like shape (but not enclosed like a tube). Halve the pieces of pasta. Set aside on a clean towel sprinkled with semolina flour. Repeat with the remaining dough. Rest the pasta for 30 minutes.
• To cook, generously salt a large pot of boiling water. Add the cavatelli and cook until al dente, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and use with your sauce recipe of choice.

CAVATELLI WITH PEAS AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1 1/2 cups cooking water, then drain.
• Heat the olive oil, 2 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water, 1 teaspoon pepper and the peas in the same pot over medium-high heat. Cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until the peas are tender and the butter melts, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Return the pasta to the pot along with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, the parmesan and 3/4 cup cooking water. Stir until creamy, adding the remaining cooking water as needed to loosen. Stir in the arugula, basil and mint. Divide among bowls.
• Mix the ricotta and lemon zest in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Dollop on each serving of pasta. Drizzle with olive oil and season with more pepper.

RICOTTA CAVATELLI

Steps:

• Combine the ricotta, eggs and salt in a large bowl, then stir into the flour. Gently combine with your hands to bring together into a dough. Knead the dough together, adding additional flour until the dough is firm and not sticky. Tightly wrap in plastic and rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Cut the dough into quarters. Working with one quarter at a time, roll the dough on a lightly-floured surface into a 1/4-inch-thick rope. With a knife, cut the rope into 1/2-inch pieces. Use a bench scraper or your index and third fingers held together to gently press down on each piece, beginning at the top and moving down toward the bottom, dragging the bench scraper toward you and causing the pasta to roll over on itself. Transfer the formed pasta to a lightly-floured baking sheet and let dry at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. (At this point, the pasta can be frozen in a single layer and stored in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer.)
• Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until the cavatelli are al dente and begin to float to the top, 3 to 5 minutes.

RAGOUT OF LAMB SHOULDER WITH CAVATELLI

Steps:

• 1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Season the lamb shoulder with the fennel, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Add the lamb to the pot and sear on all sides, turning occasionally, until golden brown, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a platter.
• 2. Add the leeks, celery, garlic, and red pepper flakes to the pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the anchovies, tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaf and cook, stirring constantly, until a dark, mahogany-colored crust forms on the bottom of the pot, 3-4 minutes.
• 3. Add the wine and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Return the lamb to the pot and add the orange peel, red onions, and Fond de Veau. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer and cook until the lamb is tender, about 2 hours. Remove from the heat and let the lamb cool in the pot, covered. Discard the bay leaf.
• 4. When you're ready to serve, pull the lamb meat from the bone and return to the rich sauce in the pot along with the cooked pasta. Add the sweet peas and warm thoroughly before serving.

HOMEMADE CAVATELLI

Steps:

• Mix together flours and salt on a clean surface, make a well in center, and gradually add 1/2 cup water and oil, working flours into center until a dough forms. (If dough is too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.) Knead dough until smooth and it springs back when gently pressed, about 5 minutes. Wrap in plastic.
• Sprinkle 2 rimmed baking sheets with semolina flour. Divide dough into 8 pieces; keep covered with plastic wrap. Roll one piece at a time into a long rope, about 1/3 inch in diameter, then cut rope into 1/3-inch-long pieces. Using tips of index and middle fingers, firmly press each piece and pull dough toward you so it lengthens slightly and forms a curl in the middle. Transfer pieces to baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Cavatelli can be refrigerated, covered, up to 4 hours. (Or freeze on sheet; once firm, transfer to a resealable bag and freeze up to 3 months. There's no need to thaw before cooking.)