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classic Italian

Homemade Cavatelli with Broccoli

August 22, 2020 by Marisa 8 Comments

Homemade Cavatelli with Broccoli

Easy to make Homemade Cavatelli with Broccoli is a simple yet classic Italian recipe dish. You’ll be happy to know that these fresh handmade pasta noodles can be frozen for later use to have on hand at a moments notice.

Homemade Cavatelli with Broccoli

Cavatelli are bite-sized pasta shells with an indentation in the noodle that traps and holds the flavours of the pasta sauce.

There’re a specialty of southern Italy and the name of the pasta comes from cavato, which means to carve out.

This type of pasta noodle was definitely not a variety that I grew up with. I was first introduced to these delicate handmade pasta morsels by my mother-in-law who was from the Molise region of Italy.

At first glance they looked similar in appearance to potato gnocchi, my absolute favourite childhood dish!

Although both have humble beginnings, with very few ingredients needed, they do differ somewhat in texture.

Potato gnocchi are slightly plumper and light in taste considering that there’s potato in the dough.

However, I find that cavatelli tend to have a firmer shape and more of an al dente bite to the cooked noodles.

This pasta recipe pairs well with just about any sauce. From a simple tomato sauce, to a quick sauté of some extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves and a sprinkle of chilli flakes.

And for meat lovers you can add some hot or mild Italian sausage to your olive oil and garlic sauté.

It’s simple Italian style cooking that screams comfort food.

CAVATELLI PASTA INGREDIENTS: 

There are a few simple ingredients that go into making this homemade pasta recipe.

Basically all you’ll need are:

  • all purpose flour
  • salt
  • water 
  • extra virgin olive oil

How to make homemade cavatelli pasta dough

Mixing together flour and water in a grey bowl for homemade pasta

Just recently I’ve started to make these homemade noodles in my stand mixer and oh…my…goodness it’s so much easier on my hands. Say’s the blogger with the arthritic right hand…lol!

You start by placing the flour and salt in your mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Then pour about 3/4 cup of water and the olive oil in the hollow centre.

Kneading cavatelli dough in a KitchenAid mixer

Using the stand mixer or hand-held mixer with the dough hook attachment, mix until a very soft ball forms. (The photo above shows how the dough looked after 1 minute of kneading.) 

As it kneads, it will completely pull away from the sides of the bowl while picking up all the remaining bits of dough.

Continue kneading the dough for about 8 to 9 minutes more, until the dough is fairly smooth and not sticky. If it’s still a little sticky, sprinkle in a little more flour, about a teaspoon at a time. Continue kneading until combined.

Fresh homemade cavatelli dough on a wooden board

Cover with plastic cling wrap and let the pasta dough rest for 1 hour. This allows the gluten to relax and makes it easier to roll and shape the noodles.

Mind you, you can take a short nap as well if you like while the dough rests. No judgements here!

Fresh cavatelli dough sectioned in 8 pieces

When ready to roll and shape the pasta, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces.

Work with one piece at a time while keeping the remaining dough covered with a clean kitchen cloth.

There’s no need to flour your work surface. This actually impedes the process.

Roll the piece of dough out into a pencil thin rope. Cut the rope into 1 inch to an inch and a half pieces, and dust with flour.

Use a gnocchi board to make the little caves or indentations in the dough by sliding each piece over the board with your fingers.

I actually used a chopstick to press the dough down over the ridged board to twirl the noodles.

But if you don’t have a gnocchi board, no worries! You can use the back of a fork or simply your fingers.

Fresh homemade cavatelli pasta on a wooden board

Transfer the shaped pasta on a baking tray dusted with either all purpose flour or semolina flour. Repeat the whole process with the remaining dough.

Homemade cavatelli pasta on a grey baking rack

My favourite way of serving homemade cavatelli and broccoli is with a very simple sauté of extra virgin olive oil, red pepper flakes and smashed garlic cloves.

Homemade Cavatelli and Broccoli Recipe

To put this cavatelli recipe together, you’ll need approximately 4 cups of cut and rinsed broccoli florets. 

Broccoli florets on a brown wooden board

Some red pepper flakes and cloves of garlic. The more the better…we love our garlic!

Red chilli flakes with 3 garlic cloves on a wooden board

Start by cooking the broccoli in a large pot of boiling salted water. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the fresh pasta to the broccoli water and cook the pasta for about 8 minutes or till it’s tender to the bite.

While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a sauté pan and add the red chilli flakes with the smashed garlic. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Stir to brown the garlic all over.

And this can be ready in as little time as it takes to cook the noodles.

Then drain the pasta add to the sauté pan along with the broccoli.

Toss well.

Fresh homemade cavatelli pasta served with broccoli on a black plate

Then plate and serve with a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil.

You may want to pass around some extra chilli flakes for those who love a whole lot of heat. And don’t forget that generous topping of Parmesan cheese.

Can You Freeze Cavatelli

Yes! You can absolutely freeze these fresh pasta noodles after they’ve been shaped.

You’ll need a large baking sheet dusted with semolina flour. Simply transfer the noodles to the prepared baking sheet and spread them out into one single layer.

Place the baking sheet in the freezer and allow the fresh pasta shapes to freeze until firm. For about 30 minutes or so.

Once firm, transfer them to a plastic freezer bag and freeze up to 3 months.

You won’t need to thaw them before cooking but they will need a couple of minutes longer to cook.

Fresh homemade cavatelli with broccoli on a black plate

Happy cooking!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

Recipe was first published March 15, 2019 and republished with new photos and content August 22, 2020.

Fresh homemade cavatelli pasta served with broccoli on a black plate
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Homemade Cavatelli with Broccoli

Easy to make homemade cavatelli with broccoli is a simple yet classic Italian recipe dish. These fresh handmade pasta noodles can be frozen for later use to have on hand at a moments notice.
Prep Time45 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time1 hr 5 mins
Course: supper
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: homemde, cavatelli, classic Italian recipe, pasta dough, broccoli
Servings: 4
Calories: 467kcal
Author: Marisa

Equipment

  • Stand mixer or hand held mixer with hook attachment

Ingredients

Cavatelli Dough

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 cup water room temperature

Pasta Sauce

  • 4 cups broccoli florets
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling over the finished dish
  • 4 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • fine sea salt to your taste
  • freshly crushed black pepper to your taste
  • 1 tablespoon semolina flour for dusting a rimmed cookie sheet
  • grated Parmesan cheese optional

Instructions

Cavatelli Pasta

  • Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.
  • Make a well in the centre and pour in the water and olive oil.
  • Using the stand mixer with the hook attachment, knead until a soft ball forms. About 8 to 10 minutes.
  • The dough should be fairly smooth and not sticky. (if still sticky just knead in a little more flour, a teaspoon at a time.)
  • The dough is ready when it's smooth and springs back when poked.
  • When you're finished kneading, cover the dough with cling wrap and let it rest for 60 minutes at room temperature.
  • The resting time relaxes the gluten in the dough and makes it easier to roll and shape.
  • Sprinkle a rimmed baking sheet with some semolina flour and set aside.
  • Cut the dough into 8 pieces.
  • Working with one piece at a time, while keeping the remaining dough covered, roll the piece out into a pencil thin rope. 
  • Cut the rope into 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch pieces.
  • Use a gnocchi board if you have, to make the little caves or indentations in the dough.
  • If you don't have a gnocchi board, use your index and middle fingers to press down into the dough and swiping towards you. This will create the distinctive crevice.
  • Transfer the cavatell to your prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

Pasta Sauce

  • Bring a large pot of water to boil.
  • Salt the water and add in the broccoli.
  • Cook the broccoli till fork tender, about 4 minutes.
  • Once the broccoli is cooked, remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon but DO NOT throw out the water. Save to cook the cavatelli.
  • Transfer the broccoli to a large skimming bowl and run under cold water. Set aside.
  • Bring the water back to boil if needed and add in the cavatelli.
  • Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes or till al dente.
  • Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium low heat.
  • Add in the crushed garlic, pepper flakes and a dash of salt and pepper to your taste.
  • Stir to brown the garlic all over. This will take 2 minutes or so.
  • Drain the cavatelli while reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water.
  • Add the cooked cavatelli and the broccoli to the skillet with the browned garlic sauce.
  • Toss to mix well and add a little of the reserved pasta water if needed.
  • Plate and serve with a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of chilli flakes and freshly grated cheese if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 467kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 329mg | Potassium: 366mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 641IU | Vitamin C: 82mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 4mg

Filed Under: Pasta, Soups Pasta Sauces Tagged With: broccoli, cavatelli, classic Italian, handmade, homemade, pasta

Chewy Amaretti Cookies

February 22, 2019 by Marisa 23 Comments

Baked Italian cookies on a white plate.

These Chewy Amaretti Cookies are another wonderful and well known treat to come out of Italy and a true Italian classic. They have a crispy outer edge and an irresistible chewy centre. You’ll be hard pressed not to devour the whole plateful in one siting.

Rolling cookie dough balls in sugar.

On one of my many frenzied baking moments last Christmas, I baked a batch of Ricciarelli, Italian Almond Cookies. I brought some in to work to share with my colleagues. Once in a while they’re my designated and very happy taste testers.

One friend and colleague, Mary, remarked on how much they tasted like her mom’s amaretti cookies.

She very graciously offered to share her mom’s recipe with me and encouraged me to change the recipe to my liking.

But how does one improve on perfection? They’re absolutely amazing, which my family can happily attest! And greedily so as they were gone in mere minutes.

Freshly baked cookies on a cooling rack

What Are Chewy Amaretti Cookies Made Of

This type of amaretti is simply one of many that can be found in different Italian households.

They mostly consist of one type of almond flour or almond paste with the addition of sugar, egg whites and flavourings.

You can use purchased almond flour or simply grind whole roasted almonds as finely as you can using a food processor.

Whether the almonds are peeled or not really doesn’t make any difference in taste. It does however change the over all colour of the cookie. Peeled almonds will yield a paler looking cookie whereas almonds with their skin intact will render a sun kissed golden brown colour.

You’ll note that in this recipe, Mary’s mom uses one part hazelnuts to three part almonds. I truly love this combo and kept the recipe as is but you can use all almonds instead.

Chewy Italian cookies made with almonds and hazelnuts.

Not only do these cute little morsels have a pretty golden hue, they also smell simply wonderful! And they’re gluten free!

Are Amaretti Cookies Easy To Make?

Amaretti cookies are by far one of the easiest cookies to ever make.

They require just a few simple ingredients so do use the freshest almonds possible.

Not those year old almonds stored why back in your pantry. Or that forgotten batch of almonds tucked in the far corner of your freezer from way back when!

And seriously, you don’t even need any special equipment! Just two bowls. One for whisking the dry ingredients and one for beating your egg white in. Which you can also beat with a fork…or a whisk. Unless you choose to use your electric mixer.

In which case, I’ll leave that part up to you. But just remember not to over beat the egg white. You just want soft peaks!

Italian amaretti cookies in a white plate.

Tips to making perfect Chewy Amaretti  Cookies

An extremely helpful tip that Mary’s mom has is a trial bake. She bakes 3 to 4 cookies to see how they turn out.

If the cookies flatten overmuch she’ll add a little more finely ground almonds to the mixture. If the dough is too stiff she’ll mix in a little more egg white.

I’ve tested this recipe 3 times and each time they turned out just wonderfully. So delicious!

As a personal preference, I chilled the dough for one hour before shaping and rolling the dough in the sugar. This helped achieve perfectly domed shapes.

A cookie scoop also helps tremendously in making equal sized cookies. I used one of 1  1/4 inch round in size.

Use the 15 minutes of baking time as a guideline. Check them after 12 minutes to make sure they are not over browning as not all ovens are created evenly.

I doubled up on my baking pans because these cookies benefitted from a double insulation. They turned out with an even all round crispiness and chewy centres. Light brown in colour with crisp crackled tops…and so pretty to look at!

If you prefer them even more crispier then simply leave them for another minute or two.

Baked Italian cookies on a white plate.

These chewy amaretti cookies are especially wonderful savoured with a sweet wine or equally enjoyable with your favourite cup of tea or coffee!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

Almond and hazelnut amaretti cookies in a white plate.

Baked Italian cookies on a white plate.
Print Recipe
3 from 8 votes

Chewy Amaretti Cookies

A classic Italian Cookie. These Amaretti cookies have crispy outer edges, soft chewy centres and are gluten free.
Prep Time40 mins
1 hr
Total Time52 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Chewy Amaretti Cookies
Servings: 2 dozen, approximately

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup roasted almonds
  • 1/4 cup roasted hazelnuts
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • pinch of baking powder
  • 1 egg white from a large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
  • 1/3 cup extra granulated sugar for rolling the cookies into

Instructions

  • Place both nuts in a food processor and grind to a very fine sandy consistency. Take care not to turn it into a nut butter.
  • In a medium sized bowl whisk together the ground nuts, granulated sugar and a pinch of baking powder. Set aside.
  • In a separate small bowl beat the egg white to a soft peak.
  • Stir the almond extract into the egg white mixture.
  • With a fork, stir the egg white mixture with the nut mixture until well combined.
  • Cover with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Use a cookie scoop of about 1 1/4 inch round to scoop up pieces of dough and shape them in a circle using your hands. If you don't have a cookie scoop, a well rounded teaspoon will do.
  • Roll the cookie ball in granulated sugar and place onto the prepared cookie sheet.
  • Repeat with the remaining cookie dough, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 to 15 minutes. 
  • When ready the cookies will look light brown in colour with crisp crackled tops.
  • Allow the cookies to cool on the pans placed over a cooling rack.

Notes

The cookie dough shouldn't be too sticky to roll with your hands but if you do encounter some stickiness simply dab your hands with a teeny bit of water and continue rolling and shaping the cookie dough.

 

Filed Under: Cookies, Dessert Tagged With: almond, Amaretti, classic Italian, cookie, hazelnut, Italian cookie

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