2-Ingredient Ricotta Cheese and Flour Pasta for Orecchiette and Cavatelli
Semolina flour and ricotta cheese are common ingredients in two very common pasta shapes, the orecchiette meaning “little ears” and cavatelli meaning “little hollows” resembling the shape of small hot dog buns. This recipe is simple and doesn't require any special tools.
Servings: 2 servings (½ pound)
Ingredients
- 200 g (1⅔ cups) durum wheat semolina flour
- 267 g (1 cup+1 tbsp) ricotta cheese
Instructions
For making orecchiette and cavatelli pasta:
- On a work surface or in a large bowl, measure out the semolina flour. Make a well in the center of the flour.
- Measure out the ricotta cheese (stir well). Scoop the ricotta in the well of the flour. Use your fingers (or spoon if using a bowl) to fold the flour over onto the cheese and mix to combine both flour and cheese. Continue mixing until the ricotta cheese is mixed with the flour and a shaggy dough has formed.
- Knead for about 10 minutes until the dough reaches a tacky smooth ball adding flour or water (or more ricotta cheese), 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed.
- Cover the dough with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust them with semolina or other flour.
- Lightly flour the work surface under the dough. At this point, you can roll out the dough to the shape you want for making different pasta shapes.
- Shape the dough into a disk. Divide the disk into quarters so you have four dough pieces. Place three of the four dough pieces on a plate and cover. Leave the remaining one on the work surface.
For shaping orecchiette (small ear shapes):
- Place a medium-sized bowl near the work surface and add 1-2 tablespoons of regular flour.
- Roll the remaining dough piece on the work surface into a rope that's a ½ inch thick.TIP: If the rope becomes too long for the surface on which you are rolling, cut the rope in half. Set one half aside and continue rolling the other until the appropriate diameter is met. Cut the rope in half again if necessary.
- Use a knife or bench scraper to cut the rope into ½-inch pieces so each small piece is a ½-inch square.
- Place a dough piece in the palm of your secondary hand or on the work surface. With the thumb on your dominate hand, press down in the center and pull gently towards you flattening out the dough and curling it over your thumb to resemble a small ear-like shape. TIPS: If you need a more substantial curl, lift the flattened piece from your palm and curl it over your thumb to form the ear-like shape. If the ears are sticking to your thumb, hand, or work surface as you shape them, toss the dough squares in a little flour before shaping them.
- Toss the orecchiette in the bowl with flour to help dry them out and prevent them from sticking. Continue making the ear shapes. Once you have a few ears in the floured bowl, lift a handful out of the flour. Shake off excess flour and place the ears uncovered on the floured baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough making as many ears as desired.TIP: Use your index finger on the same hand to flick off the shaped orecchiette.
For shaping cavatelli (small hot dog bun shapes):
- Place a medium-sized bowl near the work surface and add 1-2 tablespoons of regular flour.
- Roll the remaining dough piece on the work surface into a rope that's a ½ inch thick.TIP: If the rope becomes too long for the surface on which you are rolling, cut the rope in half. Set one half aside and continue rolling the other until the appropriate diameter is met. Cut the rope in half again if necessary.
- Use a knife or bench cutter to cut the rope into ¾-inch pieces. Each small piece should be a ¾ of an inch wide (a little longer than the orecchiette).
- Place the cavatelli on the work surface with the ends facing your left and right (horizontally to you). Using both the index and middle fingers, place them in the middle of each cavatelli and press down towards you. The dough should curl up over both fingers now resembling a little hot dog bun.TIPS: If the cavatelli sticks to your fingers or work surface as you shape them, toss the dough rectangles in a little flour before shaping them. Use your thumb on the same hand to flick off the shaped cavatelli.
- Toss the cavatelli in the bowl with flour to help dry them out and prevent them from sticking. Continue making the mini hot dog bun shapes. Once you have a few buns in the floured bowl, lift a handful out of the flour (or use a sieve). Shake off excess flour and place the ears uncovered on the floured baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough making as many hot dog buns as desired.
For adding ridges to the cavatelli:
- Place a fork with the tines facing down towards you on the work surface. Place one piece of the rectangle dough perpendicular to the fork tines at the top of the fork tines. Use the same two fingers and press down in the center of the dough while rolling the dough down the fork tines towards you. This motion creates both the curl and ridges concurrently. You can alternate between shaping the buns on the work surface and on the fork for two texture variations. TIP: If you have a gnocchi board follow the same directions but treat the gnocchi board ridges like the fork tines.
Video
Notes
Serving Suggestions:
Once cooked, you can serve either pasta with any preferred pasta sauce. The orecchiette traditional sauce is a ragu made with meat, vegetables, and sometimes tomatoes or another sauce with vegetables like broccoli or mini meatballs. The cavatelli traditional sauce is a simple tomato sauce with broccoli or garlic, broccolini, and tomatoes.
Storing Suggestions:
The pasta can be cooked immediately. However, if not, place the baking sheet with pasta in the fridge for up to 2 days. For longer storage, freeze the pasta on the baking pan until frozen. Then, transfer the pasta in a sealed bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Cooking Directions:
Regardless of how the pasta is stored, it's cooked the same way. Bring a large pot of 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add about 1 tablespoon of salt; the water should taste like the ocean (salinity of the sea). Add the pasta and reduce the heat to a simmer. Once the pasta rises to the surface, set the timer, and cook for 2 minutes. Taste a noodle to check for doneness. It should be “al dente” meaning “to the tooth” and should be fully cooked but firm to the bite. If a dense white spot remains in the center of the pasta, it needs to cook another 20-30 seconds. Once the pasta is done, drain, and serve it immediately with your preferred sauce.