Cavatelli pasta with asparagus

Votes: 1

Time: 1 hour 30 min.
Complexity: easily
Servings: 4 - 6

This dish is especially delicious because it's completely homemade. You don't need a special pasta machine to make cavatelli; it's easy to shape with whatever you have, like the back of a butter knife. The dough is made from flour, egg, and ricotta. Let it rest in the refrigerator, preferably overnight, then form the cavatelli. You can involve little helpers in the process, making the process even more fun. The finished pasta is boiled and tossed with sautéed asparagus in a light sauce of butter and lemon juice. Add a little grated Parmesan, and your delicious, juicy spring pasta is ready!

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

2 cups premium flour + extra for work
220 g ricotta (about 1 heaping cup)
1 large egg
110 g unsalted butter
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and thinly sliced (leave the top ends whole)
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
0.5 cup grated Parmesan (about 30 g) + extra for serving
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

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Recipes with similar ingredients: cavatelli pasta, asparagus, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Dough:

Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. In a smaller bowl, mix the ricotta and egg with a fork and add it to the well in the flour. Begin kneading around the well with a fork, gradually incorporating the flour and ricotta until you have a lumpy dough. If the dough is too dry and won't come together, add up to 3 tablespoons of water, a little at a time.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. You can knead the dough the day before and refrigerate it; bring it to room temperature before rolling it out.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Working with one piece at a time (keeping the remaining pieces wrapped), roll the dough on the counter into a 1 cm thick rope. Using a knife or scraper, cut the rope into 1 cm pieces. Roll each piece into a small ball.
Flatten each dough ball with your finger. Place the back of a butter knife on the flattened dough and gently pull it toward you to create a deep line down the center. Form the remaining cavatelli in the same way; place them on a floured baking sheet.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Transfer the cavatelli to a colander and shake over a baking sheet to remove excess flour. Add the cavatelli to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the asparagus, lemon zest, and juice. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cavatelli to the skillet, adding 3/4 cup of the cooking water from the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is coated with the sauce and the asparagus is tender, 3 to 4 minutes; season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the Parmesan and parsley; serve sprinkled with more Parmesan.

Categories:

recipe / Summer dishes / Spring dishes / Main courses / Pasta / Vegetables and mushrooms / Food Network - recipes / Italian cuisine