A few weeks ago after a nice day of golfing Jason and I stopped into Ianiro’s Italian store on Mayfield Road in Munson. We were just going to grab a few beverages and some sandwiches, but something caught my eye in their freezer case, homemade cavatelli. See my old lady (she would kill me if she knew I called her that) just loves cavatelli and usually the only time she gets homemade cavatelli is when we go down to Little Italy. Plus, she’s been stressed out lately over the wedding planning, so I thought I’d be a sweetheart and get them for her. To my surprise for maybe a 1/4 of a pound they were $3.99! When it comes to food, I’m not a cheap bastard, but $16 a pound for flour and water is a bit excessive. I ended up buying the damn things anyway with a commitment to learn how to make them from scratch. And that’s where we are today.
Before I get into things there are a few things I want to mention about making cavatelli from scratch. First and foremost, it is labor intensive and time consuming work, so if you are bothered by that you should probably stop reading now and start saving so you can buy fresh cavatelli. Second, I looked everywhere online for a step by step guide on how to actually make the cavatelli, but most were pretty poor and graphically challenged. This how-to is going to have a lot of pictures, but it is in order to help you to see how to exactly make these right. Finally, make this a family event and include your kids. Its processes like making cavatelli that are slowing becoming memories of the past.
Cavatelli Recipe
16 oz. Ricotta Cheese
2 Eggs
1 Pinch of Salt
3 Cups (1 pound) All Purpose Flour
1.Pour 2 1/2 cups of the flour into a bowl and make a well in the middle.
2. Drop the 2 eggs and the ricotta cheese into the well.
3. Using a circular motion, slowly incorporate the flour into the eggs and cheese.
4. Once all of the flour has been combined with the eggs and cheese, knead the dough together until a soft, but not sticky dough is formed. It can depend on the day, but if the dough still remains sticky add more flour.
5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest for at least a half an hour.
How to Make Cavatelli
1. Take your ball of dough and divide it into quarters.
2. Working with one quarter at a time, lay the dough out on a lightly floured surface and divide it into quarters again.
3. Take a piece of the divided dough (now and 1/8 of the original amount) and roll it into a long tube 1/4 inch in diameter. Although this picture shows me rolling the dough on the board, I actually found that it was a lot easier to work into a tube while holding it in the air and spinning it back and forth between my palms.
4. Divide the tube into pieces 1 inch long with either a pastry cutter or a knife.
5. Now this is the fun part. Using the edge of a butter knife or pastry cutter, with the device at a 45 degree angle, press on each piece of dough and pull across the length of it. You find that the motion causes the dough to curl up the edge of the impliment. This process is definately easier to understand with the pictures below. If you don’t get it at first, don’t be discouraged. Just keep working with it using different amounts of pressure on the dough and eventually you’ll get into the grove.
6. When you are done with each cavatelli, have a lightly floured pan near by so you can toss them in and move on to the next.
Storing Your Cavatelli
You have two options when storing your cavatelli refrigerator or freezer. If you plan on storing your cavatelli in the fridge, you want to make sure you let them dry a bit on the counter, at least an hour. Once you’re sure they won’t stick together any longer, pack them into a Ziploc bag and stick them in the fridge. Make sure you use them within a week or two.
The best option for storing your cavatelli is by far the freezer. Once you are done with your cavatelli making, place your pan into the freezer for a half an hour. That should be long enough to allow the cavatelli to tighten up a bit and they should no longer stick together. Place the chilled cavatelli in a Ziploc freezer bag and store them in your freezer for up to a year.
Cooking Your Cavatelli
If you are like us you won’t be able to wait to try your cavatelli, so you’ll be cooking them fresh. They should only take a few minutes to cook in a pot of salted water on a rapid boil. You’ll know when they are done because they will float. Always make sure to taste one before you take it off the heat though.
Frozen cavatelli will take just a bit longer to cook, maybe 5 – 7 minutes, but again, you’ll know when they are done because they will float to the top.
Further Reading:
For those of you that enjoyed this post, 101 Cookbooks has a nice how to on making gnocchi like an Italian grandmother.
Some other posts you might enjoy:
June 25th, 2007 at 10:49 am
I love Cavatelli and never made them. They have always been my favorite when I was growing up. I make Gnocchi all the time. Next time I will have to try making the cavatelli.
June 26th, 2007 at 10:02 am
These look so good. I just read the 101 Cookbooks post on gnocchi and thought I’d check you out too. I’ve been wanting to make pasta since I took a class a while back, but I haven’t gotten around to procuring the machine. But here, I don’t need the machine; great!
June 26th, 2007 at 10:03 am
Oh, and — all of the lovely photos are wonderfully helpful.
September 13th, 2007 at 11:50 am
These are a family tradition for Christmas day at our house. We love them. A few years ago my father (82) and I made them from scratch. You are absolutely right about labor intensive, but oh how it’s worth it.
We were buying them dried from a place in San Leandro California. Not anymore
September 13th, 2007 at 11:55 am
Oh and I forgot to mention, my dad taught us to use two fingers to roll, or as he calls it, dig the cavatelli.
March 9th, 2008 at 8:08 am
Best recipe with great “how to” pictures. I made these and they were delicioso. I used to roll with my fingers but using the patry cutter was much easier. These are my daughter’s favorite and she’s coming for dinner today. Thanks for making it a lot easier to do and now……..mangia, mangia!!
May 1st, 2008 at 5:18 am
Thanks for including pictures with the recipe. I didn’t really understand how to form the noodles by reading just the recipes. My grandson’s birthday is Sat. and I’m elected to make a hotdish for about 40 people-So I better get started making my cavateli’s. Thanks again. I’m so excited to make these.
June 28th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Thanks. I had been searching for a cavatelli recipe made with ricotta. the semolina cavatelli are great, but these are perfection. Reminds of the days my grandmother called me Nunzi.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:36 am
I’m going to try it. My grandmother used to make the dough when I was a kid and I was in charge of rolling them for the final step.
August 17th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
A recipe and the step-by-step photos – nice work! I am this for a hyperlink on my blog entry on the Feast of the Assumption in Cleveland’s Little Italy. Thanks!
August 30th, 2008 at 5:49 am
Cavatelli has been my favorite pasta since I was young in New York. Can’t find any here in Virginia. I have paid more than $40.00 to have it shipped from up north. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe. Will never buy Cavatelli again!!!! And, you are right…it is fun to make it into a family project.
October 7th, 2008 at 9:55 am
You are the man. Cavetelli was my favorite pasta growing up as a child in the NY, NJ area. I now live in a region of the country were they are not available. The only thing we can get are the dryed box type (which are no comparison). Yesterday I made your recipe and they were great. Your instructions and pictures made the process painless. They did take a while to make but it was well worth it and by the end I really had the knack. I think next time it will go much faster. I’ve been craving these for soooo long – thanks again!
November 8th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Cant wait to try this. Born and raised in NJ this was always our favorite. Moved to NC 13 yrs ago. no such thing. My mom used to bring us some when she would visit and my 10 year old now thinks they are called New jersey Noodles. Now she lives in FL my supply line has dried up. I think it is time to start a new family tradition. Thanks so much
November 27th, 2008 at 12:08 am
I live in CA where you just cannot find cavatelli. This recipe has me so excited as I am going to make it with my son this weekend. Thanks!
January 12th, 2009 at 11:18 am
I am so glad I located this web site. I am Irish and my mother in law Italian often made them. She passed and my family loves them so much. They are better than store bought or frozen.
Thanks
January 25th, 2009 at 11:20 am
thank you for posting th is recipe although i have been making them for years always nice to see how someone else does it your recipe is almost exact the only difference is we roll them on the inside of a fine grater to give them a design my mother in lw did this for years and learned from her
January 25th, 2009 at 11:20 am
thank you for posting th is recipe although i have been making them for years always nice to see how someone else does it your recipe is almost exact the only difference is we roll them on the inside of a fine grater to give them a design my mother in lw did this for years and learned from her
February 9th, 2009 at 10:45 am
I am happy to find this recipe. I plan on using Semolina instead of all purpose flour though. Mama-in-law always made them and I did not get her recipe before she died. I have a machine for them and plan on doing them today. If you do not think the semolina will work please let me know asap. In fact I have waited this long, guess I can wait a little longer and hopefully you will respond within the next week. THEN I will make them.
Thanks so much.
March 15th, 2009 at 9:04 am
thanks 4 clear,easy 2 unnerstan directions and 1 of the best websites. hope you can hang in there and go the distance.
April 3rd, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Hello all, who said that real Italian cavatielli are made with ricotta?? that is an American invention , add-on or whatever. I lived in southern Italy for more than 20 years- no one adds this to their recipe, I will be very happy to show you all how to make them- it is labor intensive and time consuming , but you “dig” the furrows in the pasta with 4-5 fingers at a time. see ” dig” =Cavare= cavatielli.
April 6th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Question: How many people does this recipe serve? I’m gonna make this for Easter. I’m feeding four adults and two kids. This going to be enough?
April 8th, 2009 at 8:15 am
hmm… my grandmother makes what she calls cavatelli but she makes it with potato like the gnocchi… but it LOOKS more like these pictures than the gnocchi pictures… and I have “heard” of riccota gnocchi, so are there potato cavatelli? or is my grandmother using the wrong word?? my mother told me my grandmother calls it cavatelli because the way its rolled means something about thumbprint? and she uses her thumb to make the roll….
April 13th, 2009 at 6:25 am
Made this for Easter. IT ROCKED. Gathered family around the kitchen table to help roll them out. Very fun, somewhat time consuming, very worth it. (Oh, and I doubled the recipe and had loads of leftovers.) I served it with a garlic-almond sauce (see this month’s Gourmet mag) that my dad declared was one of the best he’d ever had. Thanks, EatingCleveland.
May 24th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Thank you, thank you, thank you! They have never heard of cavatelli here in the south, but being from the Mayfield area I can never get it out of my mind or heart. The dried pasta can never compare to Longo’s or Manga Manga’s Now I can make my own. Now if I can get these people to use fresh mozzeralla in their salad instead of cheddar. Oye!
July 16th, 2009 at 8:54 am
I make them – with or without ricotta and whole wheat flour vs white – still great. Plus – not to labor intensive when you have a “machine” to do the rolling. I bought a hand crank machine
years ago – grandma taught me the two finger version – but machine is so much faster! I’m sure you can find it on line.
Taking it down “south” next week to make and freeze for my daughter!
July 19th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I found this recipe a couple of months ago…madonna mia they were excellent! I had 4 kids helping and they were able to roll the cavatelli easily thanks to the photos. Very easy to follow, we all loved the results. I’m making it again tonight with some fresh tomato sauce from juicy garden tomatoes. Even with canned tomatoes this was an extra special meal with a loaf of homemade or fresh baked bread. Ti Voglio Bene!!!
July 24th, 2009 at 6:08 am
Okay, so I used to make these all of the time by hand. Very labor intensive indeed but fun at the same time. I make it a family event and my kids and husband love it. BUT I happened to stumble upon a video on Youtube.com called “Grandma making homemade cavatelli” and saw the cavatelli “crank” machine in action. Didn’t take me long to get one of these immediately on Ebay. Let me tell you – I love it!!!! I make these – bags at a time – and freeze them while giving a bag to each of my sisters for their families and they love me for it. My mom tells me that her mother NEVER used ricotta when she made these back in the day so today I am going to try the recipe without ricotta. I love the “eldante” texture and hope the plain version does it just right!!!! Thanks for the post and pics – so nice to know there are still people out there who take it back to the “old school” way…God I love this!
July 24th, 2009 at 6:18 am
Oops…I made a mistake on the title. If you want to see the video on Youtube.com that shows the crank machine in action, it’s called “Nonna making cavatelli.” I thanked the person who posted it
August 17th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
This is great !!
I’m from Brooklyn and live in San Francisco.
Needless to say, we don’t have stores here that make Cavatelli.
(I bring them home from NY)…
However now I can make them thanks to this wonderful site…..the
photos are terrific. Mille Grazie !!!!!!!!
September 25th, 2009 at 9:08 am
This is awesome! My mom and I have made these for years, only using the two fingers method to “roll them” ! This is a great website, I’m so glad others are able to learn how to make Cavatelli! It has been a Christmas / Easter tradition for my family for years, and we love them!
October 8th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Is that a Cleveland Browns sweatshirt I see in the picture?!! Thanks for the recipe. I am going to try it this weekend! Go Browns!
October 14th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
(now and 1/8 of the original amount) – shouldn’t that be 1/16th? Yeah I know. Nit-picking.
I was surprised by the inclusion of the ricotta. Possibly why the shop-bought ones were a little more expensive?
November 1st, 2009 at 2:46 pm
why do I have so much trouble putting the rope thru the machine It sticks and all jumbles up together. is my dough too soft?
Louise Bova
November 9th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Hi , I have a question , can I use semolina flour instead of bleached , or can I use 1/2 bleached an 1/2 semolina ? thank you Joe
November 9th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Substituting some semolina should work fine, I wouldn’t do 100%, but 50% should be fine.
December 5th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Having left the CT/NYC area to move to warmer climes several years ago, I missed my cavatelli (or as Mom would call it, “gavadeel”); any visit back up to NYC, this is always the first dish my sister makes me. Last trip up, I bought 10 lbs from a shop in Brooklyn and brought them home. Now…. “gavadeel” any time I want it. Thanks, friend… you made this southern transplant one happy Italiano. Can’t wait for Christmas Eve this year.
December 8th, 2009 at 8:26 am
Do yourself a favor and purchase a cavatelli machine for forming the gavs.
December 9th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Since my 83 year old Nonna passed away 3 years ago I have not found a cavatelli recipe. Yours is sooooo detailed Thank You for that. The only place where I had it exactly and I mean exactly like hers was when I visited a restaurant in Compobasso, Italy where she was born. I will try yours but I don’t know if she used Ricotta or not worth the experiment.
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Canada
December 28th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
I’m working on Mark Vetri’s Ricotta Cavatelli with Lamb Ragu (if it tastes half as good as it smell, we’re going to be in luck) and your detailed instructions and terrific photos helped immeasurably. Thanks soooo much. — POD
January 16th, 2010 at 10:49 am
Yes indeedy my childhood favorite was cavatelli too. i made them with my mom but switched to gnocchi due to the ease of it all. now back to cavatelli and i’m teaching my two married daughters how to make them today. thanks for the reminder. i follow the same steps as your site but i roll them with my fingers. just my family’s tradition.
thanks, Dorothy D’Amico Conroy
January 20th, 2010 at 9:30 am
I have always made cavetelli with a machine. I am from Ohio, I’m sure you’ve heard of Aleschi’s. That’s where I would buy the frozen ones when we visited home. Now in North Carolina its like a hunt for gold and then paying the price. This looks like fun and I’m on a mission to make pounds of it and introduce it to my Southern friends, they’ll get hooked. Thanks for making my favorite “simply” by hand.
January 29th, 2010 at 11:27 am
I’m from upstate NY and could not find cavatelli our here in Denver so decided to try my hand at making them. Your recipe and instructions were perfect. Even my Italian friends told me to be sure to use the ricotta in the dough. The dough was smooth and easy to work with. It did not take long to get the hang of rolling them as you showed. Can’t thank you enough for posting it. Now I can have them any time I want them. Made them with the broccoli and mushrooms. To die for. Grazia!
February 3rd, 2010 at 7:06 pm
i cant wait to try this recipe. when i was 13 i washed dishes in an italian restaurant outside of cleveland and would sometime help in making the cavatelli. they would store them on baking sheets with damp towels on top inthe walk-in. in high school i worked at an italian party center and cavatelli were a wedding standard. leftovers were always fed to the workers. i left cleveland 27 yrs ago for new mexico and i only get to eat them when i visit cleveland. thanks again for the recipe!
March 2nd, 2010 at 7:09 pm
Just a note to let you know this was a great success. I don’t know if my Grandmother used ricotta, but I have had it without and this is fantastic. It is much moister and tender. I messed around with the hand method and made a pound, it was delicious but I dug out my cavatelli maker so I could produce mass quantities. The difference is you need more flour for the machine and they are a bit firmer. I enjoyed both versions, one because it tasted better, the other because I could make more faster!!! I’m in heaven either way, thanks.
March 9th, 2010 at 7:24 pm
My first post didn’t take so I’ll try again. Definitely use a machine. I bought mine decades ago at DeMarco’s down by 5 points. There is another company that sells this machine now and can be found by Googling cavatelli makers.
March 10th, 2010 at 9:44 am
Thanks for posting this recipe with the pictures. I made these last night, and I was able to get the shaping method correct because of the photos you posted. They taste great too. Thank you!
March 12th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
patty ricca said you’re alright…you can stay
March 21st, 2010 at 4:36 pm
Thank you for the pictures and directions everything was very clear. I have a question though. For some reason even after 15 minutes of boiling my cavatellis were still chewy in the middle. They were fresh cavatellis made that day. Do you know what I did wrong or how to correct this?
April 25th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
The recipe is wonderful, but do an ebay search for cavatelli makers and you could get one for about 25 bucks. Make the dough as seen above and the cavatelli makers, makes them in minutes.
May 5th, 2010 at 9:22 pm
I’ve yet to try this recipe myself, but if I’m not mistaken, Cavatelli should be rather doughy and only need to be boiled for a few minutes when fresh. At least that is my experience when eating cavatelli at restaurants. The waitress’ describe them as dumpling-like.
June 5th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
gnocchi are made with potatoes , cavatelli do not have potatoes in them
July 24th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Please post the recipe for your cavatelli – I’d like to see the recipe w/out ricitta. Thanks!
October 4th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
My family came from Campobasso many, many years ago & have always made it with potatoes. I was told that the way it was rolled made it different from gnocci & these look identical but we do make them with our fingers. We have continued the tradition of serving Cavatelli at Christmas & family reunions.
November 15th, 2010 at 9:47 pm
Go figure. When I was a kid in the 1950′s our Mom (a Marchegiana) made what she called “cavadeelie” with leftover mashed potatoes. She purposely made extra mashed potatoes in order to have them to make cavadeelie the next day. We loved them and ate them in huge quantities; but joked that you could feel each hitting your belly with a thud.
I never heard the word “gnocchi” until probably the 1980′s or so. Ironically, by then Mom had started mostly making cavatelli using ricotta instead of the potatoes because they were lighter.
November 28th, 2010 at 11:10 am
Hey Robin…I too was taught to make cavatelli with potatoes as my maternal grandfather was from Campobasso! My mother also taught us to make them with 2 scoops of all-purpose flour to 1 scoop of self-rising. We also have always rolled them using our first two fingers. I’ve never tried making them with egg or with ricotta…but may try it for kicks! We also make them at Christmas, Easter and any other special family event! Sounds like we have some heritage in common =)
November 28th, 2010 at 11:39 am
That is amazing! We just got back from a 2 week trip to Italy but did not get the chance to go to Campobasso. My husband says we will go again & try to visit my family’s home town. My family’s name is Albanese & we live in Northern California it is great to hear from someone who doesn’t think gnocchi is the only potato pasta in Italy.
December 23rd, 2010 at 8:49 pm
I first want 2 Thank You 4 your efforts in all the work. I was 6 yrs old when my mom began 2 show me how to make pasta from scratch.A pasta machine was un herd of. When we made Cavatelli,mom used boiled potatoes that were mashed and blended into the flour etc.. Try using a Fork when you are ready 2 make the curl. Be sure to flip the fork over then take a piece of Cavatelli and roll it over the bow part of the Fork. It worked 4 us and i am sure it will work for everyone else. I am happy that there are people that do things the “Old Fashioned Way”!!
Joe
January 9th, 2011 at 6:15 pm
I have been using this recipe and technique for several years now. It is a yearly tradition that we have a mother-daughter cooking night before the kids go back to college from winter break. I make a huge bowl of dough, we all sit around the table making ropes, cutiing and forming the pasta. I make a marinara and serve with lots of fresh grated locatelli. Thanks for the best recipe and detailed instructions. I should have it memorized by now. Couldn’t find my paper copy but was so glad to see it’s still on-line.
January 17th, 2011 at 11:51 am
I have made Cbatelli with just water, Olive Oil and water…How do you make it
March 2nd, 2011 at 11:57 am
Hi!
It´s nice to know that somebody in the USA loves the cavatelli. I´m a superfan of this pasta. I make cavatelli each time I can. But the way you make them is so hard. I learnt making cavatelli in Italy and let me tell you is so easy. You only need a rolling pin. Take the dough and extend it on the table. Then, cut the dough in the shape of a ruler and divide this pieces into smaller ones. The size of these pieces will be 3 cm. After that, take each piece of pastry and roll it out with your three fingers. Finally, you have your cavatelli a little bit thiner and light. Bye!
March 15th, 2011 at 11:58 pm
horrible…looks like hell and should not be called cavatelli…get a machine for 25$ and getta life
April 19th, 2011 at 10:53 pm
I’d never made or eaten cavatelli before but I was making a sauce that called for cavatelli to go with it. It was a bit labor intensive but I tend to make everything (including my pasta) from scratch so it wasn’t too bad. Not something I’d make on a weeknight after working all day, but the flavor makes the work worth it any other time.
Hope after 4 years you still get this “Thanks” from me.
May 31st, 2011 at 9:24 pm
Hey thanks for the post! I was nostalgic for a cavatelli how-to after all these years.
And speak of the devil, I live only a few miles from Ianiros! Now I’m hankering for a big tub of oil cured olives, the wrinkly kind. Salty as hell though. And a pound of provolone to go with it.
As a little kid in the early 60s I remember watching one of my Italian aunts making cavetelli one time. She called them ‘cavatelle,’ used her fingertips to roll them. I don’t know how fast a cavatelli ‘machine’ can crank them out but my aunt went zip-zip-zip. I remember she rolled the dough out flat on a wood board then used a wheel cutter with a big wooden handle on it to criss cross the dough. Then zip-zip-zip she rolled the little squares against the board right where they sat. It looked like she was just counting them with her fingers as she zipped along. I was transfixed watching her hand go like a typewriter, all the way left then up, all the way right then up a row. Did all of them, sprinkled flour on them then scraped them up with a big spatula into a bowl. I don’t think it took her more than five or ten minutes to roll them all up.
If a machine can beat that that’s one hell of a machine.
What a bummer it is not to realize at the time that all that fine Italian food, breadmaking, winemaking, gardening, and tree grafting I was surrounded by as a kid was so unique. When it came to food, all we kids wanted to do was scarf it down then run outside and play. Now if I could go back in time I’d write every last single thing down about how to do all that.
October 3rd, 2011 at 6:14 am
Thanks this worked out great. We did it with whole wheat. We had better results with the whole wheat by adding an extra egg and cheese.
October 13th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
Thanks a million for the ricotta cavatelli recipe…I’ve been making them for years with the machine, don’t mind cheating, and without the ricotta…was glad to find this recipe. I serve mine with marinara sauce and a dollop of fresh ricotta in the plate, grated parmigiano on top…deelish. Thanks again for the great pictures…now if you can post instructions on how to make Barese orrechiette I’d be very happy…my mother in law, whom I was never fortunate enough to know, was a champ orrechiette maker and I would love to learn…
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:50 pm
Make it even easier. Instead of using a pastry cutter,, use a fork and roll the piece of dough over the tines of the fork. It makes a cute little curled cavatelli, and that’s how real italians make them. Mangia!
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:52 pm
Yes! That’s the way real Italians make them. Such fun, even kids join in.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:55 pm
Me too! Made them with mama when I was a kid..
January 22nd, 2012 at 3:03 pm
YES, GAVADEEL! I’M LOL. ITALIAN.
January 22nd, 2012 at 3:11 pm
MANGIA E BUONO APPETTITTO!
February 13th, 2012 at 4:29 pm
Thank you for posting! I tried my hand with your instruction and it went great. I was sure to give you full credit on my post: http://www.wifeywithaknifey.com/2012/02/how-to-make-cavatelli-pasta-by-hand.html
Many lovies from my kitchen to yours!
March 4th, 2012 at 8:48 am
Incorrect Jennie…..My family has been making both Gnocchi and cavatelli for over 100 years as these recipes have been handed down for every generation. Gnocchi and cavatelli are the type/style of macaroni. Gnocchi are usually made with potato and cavatelli are made many many ways including potato.
March 4th, 2012 at 8:50 am
Make gravy every Sunday? LOL!!
March 16th, 2012 at 9:09 am
Just Love your Blog!!! You have a Great Sense of Humor. Thanks for the great Yummy Recipe. Look forward to trying it,
Keep up the great posting.
August 24th, 2012 at 1:13 am
My daughter and I just learned how to make gnocchi/cavetelli from my Italian mother-in-law. Our recipe is a bit different, but we still get the wonderful pasta dish we all love. We learned to “roll” each gnocchi piece with your first two floured fingers. Try it!
September 8th, 2012 at 10:42 pm
GREW UP IN THE SO. BRONX IN THE 30S, 40S, AND 50S. MOM AND DAD HAD A PRODUCE STORE AND MOM HEARD FROM SO MANY CUSTOMERS ABOUT REICPES. AT THAT TIME, CAVATELLI WAS MADE WITH FOUR AND WATER.
WE WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE A PASTA SHOP ON MORRIS AVENUE AND YOU COULD PURCHASE ANY KIND OF FRESH PASTA EVER MADE.
I HAD A COUSIN VISITING FROM MORRIS AVENUE, AND MADE RAPPINI WITH CAVATELLI, MADE WITH CREAM CHEESE. I DID NOT HAVE RICOTTA, SO I DECIDED TO TRY THE 1/3 FAT CONTANT CREAM CHEESE. IT TURNED OUT GREAT AND MY COUSIN WHO HAS NOT HAD IT IN YEARS, LOVED IT.
SURPRISINGLY, IT TURNED OUT GREAT. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP. MARY
November 25th, 2012 at 8:03 pm
I moved from CT to Oregon 3 years ago and have been looking for cavatelli(gavadeel as us italians call them) the entire time. I finally realized they probably just don’t have them here. So I decided to look for a recipe online and found this one. I am making them now. My mom also said my grandma never used ricotta, so I am not sure how my grandma made them, but I do remember her doing it and my mom said she used a fork to roll them. So, my dough is resting and the kids and I are about to roll them out. Hoping for a taste of home!! If they come out good, I think I will start making them and selling them out here, it is ridiculous that we can’t get any real italian stuff out here. And what they call pizza here, oy vey!! Every time I get back home I have pizza at least 3 times!!
November 29th, 2012 at 4:09 pm
I absolutely love the pictures with the recipe. Was trying to do a recipe search… and found you. My grandmother used to make these all the time. (My aunt too.) They called them “cavadillos” (not sure of the spelling). Anyway, you hit it right on the head. Labor intensive but oh so extremely worth it. We used our first two fingers to “dig” them. I made them for my husband when we were still dating and he LOVED them. Now, he calls them “hooking groceries.” I guess because I hooked him with my noodles. Thank you for reminding me how many eggs to use with 16oz of ricotta. Never had a written recipe. Just always tried to remember. Thanks again.
February 6th, 2013 at 11:12 am
@ lelena My father is from Italy as well as my aunts and uncles (some still are there) and yes these are Cavatelli and the ricotta is not an ‘american add on.” My Aunt and uncle own a pasta company and besides many other pastas they make both gnocchi and cavatelli. The cavatelli has ricotta in it. My family is Abruzzo. Perhaps they don’t do that in the other regions? But I know where my family comes from they do. Btw,eatingcleveland thank you for the recipe. I wanted to make this homemade with my daughter and could not remember the flour ratio to ricotta. I have to tell you I put only 1 egg yoke and about 1 cup of flour plus maybe a cup flour for the rolling and etc. But for the other cup flour I add 1 cup parmesan instead (that’s from my other grandmother’s side they are Calabrese). I bet I could have added some finely minced fresh parsley to the dough for flavor variation next time. These are sooooo light and delish. TY!