Cavatelli Pasta with Nepitella

Cavatelli con Aglio, Olio, e Mentuccia — Photo:
Cedric Angeles

Active Time:

3 hrs 45 mins

Total Time:

2 hrs 35 mins

Yield:

4 servings

This handmade shell-shaped pasta from chef Evan Funke of Funke in Los Angeles is a labor of love and worth it for its wonderfully tender and springy texture. The surface and shape allow sauce to cling to each piece.

As you make the pasta dough, it will seem very stiff and quite dry at first, but it relaxes and hydrates every time you set it aside to rest and becomes more workable with time. Be sure to keep the dough covered while you’re rolling and cutting. If the dough pieces get too dry, it will become a struggle to curl the dough into the correct shape.

The condimento, Funke’s herbaceous sauce for the pasta, which he learned to make on a research trip to Sicily, comes together easily. It’s garlic-forward, but the garlic doesn’t overpower the notes from the mentuccia (wild mint). The simple sauce lets the fresh-made cavatelli shine.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make this recipe ahead of time?

The Cavatelli dough can be prepared through step 2 up to 24 hours in advance. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before shaping.

What else can I serve with the cavatelli?

Cavatelli is excellent with mussels, Lillet and dill; with a Sardinian meat sauce; and with roasted broccoli rabe and harissa.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

In this recipe, chef Evan Funke calls for Semola di grano duro (also called fine semolina or durum flour), a high-protein, high-gluten durum wheat flour that’s milled multiple times to produce a very fine textured flour. It can be found at most supermarkets, or order it online at Bella Italia.

Mentuccia, also called nepitella in the U.S., is a bright green herb that has slightly fuzzy leaves and grows wild in Central and Southern Italy. It is appreciated in Italian cuisine for its minty-lemony scent, and a bold flavor that the Food & Wine Test Kitchen testers described as “oregano-meets-basil-meets-mint.” The herb is worth special-ordering for this recipe. You can order it (look for “nepitella”) from The Chef’s Garden. To grow your own wild mint, which is hardy and does well in pots or containers, for your herb garden, you can purchase nepitella seeds at The Heirloom Seed Store.

Suggested pairing

We recommend a light-bodied, spicy Sicilian red, such as Valle dell’Acate Il Frappato.

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Ingredients

Dough

14 ounces semola di grano duro flour (about 2 1/2 cups), plus more for dusting
5 1/2 ounces hot water (130°F to 140°F) (about 2/3 cup), divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

Condimento

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 small fresh red Thai chile, smashed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 (3/4-ounce) bunch fresh nepitella or mint, leaves torn (about 1 loosely packed cup), divided
Grated pecorino (optional)

Directions

Make the dough

Pour flour onto a work surface, preferably wood, and make an 8-inch well in the center. (You should be able to see the work surface, and the walls should be high enough to contain the water.) Pour half of the water (about 1/3 cup) into the well; using a fork, begin incorporating flour from the interior wall into the water. Mix until a light batter forms. Add the olive oil and the remaining half of the water (about 1/3 cup), and continue incorporating the flour into the mixture with the fork until the dough reaches a pancake-batter-like consistency. Clean off flour mixture stuck to the fork, and add it to the dough. Using a bench scraper or a sturdy metal or plastic spatula, cut the dough together as if you are making biscuits: Scrape, fold, and cut until a shaggy mass forms, 2 to 3 minutes. Some of the mass will be wet, and some will be floury. Scrape dough from the bench scraper, and add it to the mass.
Knead the dough with both hands by pulling the far end of the dough toward you quickly and energetically, folding it over itself, and pushing down and away using the palms of your hands. Rotate the dough a quarter turn, and repeat the kneading and rotating process until the dough is compact, 5 to 8 minutes. (Dough may seem a bit dry.) Scrape any dry bits away from your work surface, and discard. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Once the dough has relaxed, knead it again until dough is smooth and tight, 2 to 3 minutes. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and set aside to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before shaping the cavatelli.
Unwrap the dough. With a knife, cut a 1/2-inch-thick slice of dough from dough ball. Cut the slice into 1/2-inch-thick strips. Roll the strips into long, thin snakes about 1/4 inch in diameter. Cut each snake into 1/2-inch-long pieces. Push dough pieces into a pile to the side. Make sure to keep the ball of dough, rolled snakes, and cut pieces of dough covered while you work to prevent them from drying out. Continue process until all of the dough is cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
Place a single 1/2-inch piece of dough, cut sides facing horizontally, onto the work surface in front of you. Orient your hand over the piece of dough with your thumb extended like you’re about to grip the handlebars of a bicycle. Using your thumb, press firmly down and away on the dough piece. The movement of your hand should resemble a plane taking off from a runway: Press down and away, and release upward. The gluten structure of the dough will force it to coil around your thumbnail, creating a canoe-like shape. Transfer shaped cavatelli to a tray lined with a cotton kitchen towel. Repeat process until all the dough pieces are shaped. If the cavatelli seems to be sticky due to the temperature or the humidity in your area, dust the shaped pasta with a little flour.
Bring a large heavy-bottomed pot of water to a boil over high, and season it with salt so it tastes like a heavily seasoned soup (not like the ocean).

Make the condimento

Once water is almost at a boil, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low until warm and shimmering. Add the garlic, chile, and salt. Toast garlic and chile, stirring often, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in half of the nepitella (about 1/2 loosely packed cup), and cook, stirring often, until bright green, 30 to 45 seconds. Ladle in 3/4 cup of the boiling water, and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low.
While the sauce is simmering, drop the cavatelli into the pot of boiling water, and stir immediately to prevent sticking. Cook at a rapid boil, stirring occasionally, until cavatelli are tender and float to the surface, 2 to 3 minutes. Once the pasta is cooked to desired doneness, strain through a colander, reserving about 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
Add drained cavatelli to the condimento in skillet, and increase heat to medium-high. Vigorously mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, giving the pasta a few tosses. Stir in the remaining half of nepitella (about 1/2 cup), and mix vigorously with wooden spoon. (This will help release the starch to thicken the sauce as it reduces.) Cook, mixing and tossing, until glossy, 1 to 2 minutes. If the sauce looks tight or broken, add a splash of the reserved pasta cooking liquid to moisten or re-emulsify. Taste the pasta for seasoning, and add salt to taste, as desired.
Spoon cavatelli onto a warmed platter. Sprinkle with pecorino, if desired. Serve immediately.