Cavatelli with Mushroom Sauce (or How to Make Pasta with a Sushi Mat)

Cavatelli with Mushroom Sauce (or How to Make Pasta with a Sushi Mat)

Cavatelli (the pasta):
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260g semola flour (next best is semolina, next best is unbleached all-purpose)
40g whole wheat flour (can be replaced with more of your main flour)
175g water at 170F (77C)

Put the flour mix and water into the food processor or stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Run the machine until a dough just comes together. Get it out onto a clean (unfloured) surface and knead for a total of 8 minutes (longer is fine). It will be sticky in the beginning and might require scraping off the counter, but should become completely smooth and not sticky very quickly. If after 1 minute of kneading the dough is still sticking, knead in flour 1 Tbsp at a time. Even if the dough feels great after 2 min, make sure you still knead for 8. Sprinkle the dough with flour, wrap in plastic, and rest at room temp at least 30 min and upto 5 hours.

If you want to make the dough completely by hand, here is a video that shows how to bring the wet and dry ingredients together using the well method: https://youtu.be/SU996yiaTng

Shape the dough as shown in the video. If serving the same day, cover with a towel and let sit until ready to cook. Or put in the freezer for 2 hours on a sheet until hard and then collect into a freezer bag.

Cook in generously salted boiling water. I use 65g salt for 6.5 quarts (6 L) water. If you want to finish cooking pasta in the sauce, undercook it slightly. After they float, they should take about 1 min, but make sure to taste frequently.

Mushroom Sauce:
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28g dry porcini mushrooms
2 cups boiling water
500g of fresh chopped mushrooms* (keep each type of mushroom separate before cooking)
¼ cup olive oil (divided)
½ cup dry white wine (divided)
⅓ cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp butter
Grated parmesan to taste
2 Tbsp chopped parsley and chives

Put porcini mushrooms into a heat safe bowl. Add 2 cups of boiling water and let sit for 1 hour.

Set a large deep skillet over high heat and add 2 Tbsp of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the sturdy mushrooms (like portabellas) and a pinch of salt. Have a lid handy. Add 1/4 cup of dry white wine and cover immediately. Let the mushrooms cook for a couple of minutes to release their moisture. Uncover the pan and wait for all the moisture to evaporate. Add the flimsy mushrooms (like maitake, shiitake, etc), another pinch of salt and another 2 Tbsp oil. Keep cooking on moderately high heat, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are nicely brown.
Take the pan off heat, and get the mushrooms out onto a plate.

Add a 1/4 cup of dry white wine to the pan. Strain the porcini liquid through a damp paper towel lined colander into the pan (I discard the porcini for reasons described in the video, but that’s up to you). Bring your porcini liquid to a simmer. This is a good time to boil your pasta (see the pasta instructions above).

Add the cooked pasta to the porcini liquid. Cook on low heat stirring constantly until the sauce barely starts to thicken. Taste for salt and if you need more, splash in some pasta cooking water or just add salt directly. Stir in 1/3 cup of heavy cream and let everything simmer for a minute. Keep tasting all along, but don’t season it all the way yet since the sauce will continue to reduce.

When the sauce is thick enough that a spoon leaves a trail, add 2 Tbsp of butter, a generous sprinkling of parmesan, the mushrooms, parsley, and chives. Stir it all together and taste carefully for salt. Keep adding pasta water to make the sauce a bit runnier than you would ideally want because it will continue to thicken for a couple of minutes as you serve the pasta. Serve immediately.

*In the video, I used portabella, maitake, and shiitake mushrooms, but you can use whatever mushrooms you want.

Pasta Grannies Video on Cavatelli: https://youtu.be/cfQU6Rn9dpY

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Видео Cavatelli with Mushroom Sauce (or How to Make Pasta with a Sushi Mat) канала Helen Rennie