Fattening? Yes. Decadent? Yes. Worth every chew and calorie? Hells yeah! We couldn't wait to sink our forks into Chef Sergio Sigala ricotta cavatelli and share the recipe with you. (If you have no idea who we're talking about, check out the first and second parts of his interview.) Before you get to cooking, however, you should know Chef Sigala doesn't cut corners and won't allow you to, either: store-bought pasta isn't an option.
Ricotta Cavatelli
Serves 4
1/2 lb. all-purpose flour
1/2 lb. ricotta cheese
1/4 lb. grated parmesan cheese
1 whole egg
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Sauce:
1/2 qt. heavy cream
1/2 chopped shallots
1/2 glass dry white wine
1/4 lb. wild mushroom mix
1/2 garlic clove
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
For the sauce: In a sauce pan, sauté chopped shallots until soft but not brown. Add a quarter of a glass of dry white wine and cook until alcohol has evaporated, then add heavy cream and let reduce by half.
In a separate pan, sauté the wild mushrooms with garlic and butter. Season with salt and pepper and add it on the cream sauce.
For the cavatelli: Mix the flour with the ricotta, parmesan, and nutmeg, and then add the eggs. Gradually work the mixture together, adding more flour if necessary to make a soft, but not sticky, dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until it is smooth. Let the dough rest at room temperature, covered with plastic, for 30 minutes.
With a rolling pin, roll out the cavatelli dough until about ¼ inch thickness, then cut strips about 2-inches wide and make sure to keep the dough strips a similar width. Keep the strips well floured and pass through a cavatelli maker (you can buy for around $30 on Amazon).
Once the cavatelli drops out of the cutter, toss them in a little more flour and place them on a baking sheet. (They can keep in the fridge for about two days.) Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil, add the cavatelli, and cook for about three minutes.
Add the cooked cavatelli to the sauce and add grated parmesan cheese. Garnish the cavatelli with fresh truffle or a bit of truffle oil.
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