Fresh Cavatelli
- 1 pound fine durum-wheat flour (about 3 1/4 cups), plus more as needed
- 1 1/4 cups very cold water, plus more as needed
- A food processor fitted with a steel blade
- Put the flour in the bowl of the food processor, and process for a few seconds, to aerate.
- With the food processor running, pour in the water through the feed tube.
- Process for about 30 seconds, until a dough forms and gathers on the blade.
- If the dough does not gather on the blade or process easily, it is too wet or dry.
- Feel the dough, then work in more flour or cold water, in small amounts, using the processor or kneading by hand.
- Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface, and knead by hand for a minute, until its smooth, soft, and stretchy.
- Press it into a disk, wrap well in plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for at least 1/2 hour.
- (You can refrigerate the dough for up to a day, or freeze for a month or more.
- Defrost in the refrigerator, and return to room temperature before rolling.)
- To form the cavatelli, lightly flour your work surface.
- Pinch off golf-ball-sized pieces of dough, and roll them out under your palms into long ropes about the thickness of a pencil.
- Cut the ropes into 1-inch segments or short cylinders; keep pieces in front of you, horizontally (left to right).
- Flour your hands, especially the tips of the three middle fingers of your right hand unless you are left-handed.
- Hold these fingertips tightly together, and press them into one of the cut segments, and gently roll toward you.
- As your fingertips make indentations in the segment, roll it toward you more so the dough both lengthens and curls around the fingertips.
- As the curl is complete, lift your fingers up quickly, so the dough segment drops off.
- It should now resemble a short concave shellor a hollowed-out boat or canoewith the impression of your fingers in the hollows and along the edges.
- Adjust the pressure of your fingers as neededif the dough cylinders are not lengthening and forming a hollow, press harder.
- If theyre just flattening beneath your fingers, press a bit more gently.
- Once you get up to speed, you should be able to roll the cavatelli with a quick downward flick of your fingertips.
- Sprinkle the finished cavatelli liberally with flour, and spread them out in a single layer on floured baking sheets.
- Leave them uncovered, to air-dry at room temperature, until ready to cook.
- (Or freeze the cavatelli on the sheets until hard, and pack them in airtight plastic bags.)
durumwheat flour, very cold water, processor
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/fresh-cavatelli-372349 (may not work)