Cavatelli With Rapini And Pecorino Recipes

SAUSAGE AND RAPINI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then salt generously. Drop in the rapini and cook until the rapini turns bright green and partially cooks, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a spider to transfer the rapini to a bowl of ice water to rapidly cool, reserving the boiling water. Drain the rapini, then cut into 2-inch pieces and set aside.
• Place a large skillet or heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add both sausages and cook, breaking up into smaller pieces, until golden brown and crispy, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes if using and cook for an additional minute.
• Meanwhile, add the Ricotta Cavatelli to the boiling water and cook until the cavatelli are al dente and begin to float to the top, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the cooked pasta and rapini to the skillet, along with 1/2 cup reserved pasta water. Season with cracked black pepper. Toss to coat the pasta, then remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the pecorino and serve immediately, with more cheese grated over the top and a drizzle of olive oil.
• 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.)

CAVATELLI WITH SAUSAGE AND PEAS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Crumble the sausage into the skillet and add the onion. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the onion is softened, about 8 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high and cook, stirring, until the sausage and onion are lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
• Push the mixture to the sides of the skillet and add the tomato paste in the middle. Cook the tomato paste, stirring, until darkened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the rosemary, then stir the tomato paste into the sausage and onion. Stir in the wine and bring to a simmer. Cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of the boiling water and bring the sauce to a boil. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
• While the sauce cooks, add the cavatelli and peas to the remaining boiling water and cook as the cavatelli label directs. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain.
• Add the cavatelli, peas and parsley to the sauce and bring to a simmer. Toss to coat, adding more cooking water as needed to loosen. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with the cheese and toss. Divide among bowls and top with more cheese.

SAUSAGE AND RAPINI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then salt generously. Drop in the rapini and cook until the rapini turns bright green and partially cooks, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a spider to transfer the rapini to a bowl of ice water to rapidly cool, reserving the boiling water. Drain the rapini, then cut into 2-inch pieces and set aside.
• Place a large skillet or heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add both sausages and cook, breaking up into smaller pieces, until golden brown and crispy, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes if using and cook for an additional minute.
• Meanwhile, add the Ricotta Cavatelli to the boiling water and cook until the cavatelli are al dente and begin to float to the top, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the cooked pasta and rapini to the skillet, along with 1/2 cup reserved pasta water. Season with cracked black pepper. Toss to coat the pasta, then remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the pecorino and serve immediately, with more cheese grated over the top and a drizzle of olive oil.
• 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.)

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.

CAVATELLI WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• In a kettle of boiling salted water cook pasta until al dente.
• While pasta is cooking, squeeze sausage from its casings into a large heavy skillet and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring to break up chunks, until no longer pink. With slotted spoon transfer sausage to a bowl, reserving drippings in skillet.
• Cut broccoli rabe into 1-inch pieces and sauté in reserved drippings, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown. Add garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, 1 minute. Add broth and raisins and simmer until broccoli rabe is just tender, about 3 minutes. Add butter, stirring until incorporated.
• Drain pasta and return to kettle. Add broccoli rabe mixture and sausage and heat through if necessary.
• Serve pasta with Parmesan.

CAVATELLI WITH RAPINI AND PECORINO

Steps:

• 1. Combine the flour, water and salt, and mix by hand or with a kitchen aid mixer until the dough is smooth and firm 2. Cut the dough into a few pieces, wrap with plastic and allow it to rest for 15 minutes 3. Roll the dough into pencil-thick logs, cut into 1 inch segments, and form cavatelli as demonstrated (with fingers) 4. Put the formed cavatelli onto a flour-dusted cookie sheet and freeze 5. Once frozen solid, the cavatelli can be packed loose into an airtight container and frozen for several months 6. Boil a large pot of water, salt generously, and blanch the rapini greens for 4 minutes 7. Remove the rapini greens and shock under cold water to stop the cooking. Finely chop 8. In a large sauce pan, warm up a generous amount of olive oil, add the garlic, anchovies and chiles 9. Satue until the garlic begins to brown lightly, then add the chopped rapini greens and raise the heat 10. Continue cooking greens over high heat, adding water as needed to keep the sauce moist, until they are tender and tasty 11. Remove from the heat and spread rappini greens on a cookie tray to cool them quickly. 12. Boil a pot of water for the pasta, well salted 13. Place one handful of frozen cavatelli per portion into the boiling water, and boil for 3 minutes 14. For each portion, place in a separate saucepan a heaping spoonful of the greens and a couple ounces of water 15. While the pasta is boiling, bring the ingredients in the saucepan to a boil 16. Strain the pasta, add to the saucepan and boil for a couple of minutes 17. Pour pasta into bowls or a serving dish, drizzle generously with olive oil and top with grated pecorino