cavatelli

a southern Italian pasta served with caramelized pork sausage, Calabrian chilli, pickled bell peppers, and green olives

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Cavatelli with pork sausage, Calabrian chilli, pickled bell peppers and green olives

Serve: 2 portions

Ingredients

Dough

• 200g finely ground semolina

• 120g water

Sauce

• 2 pork sausages (about 250g)

• 1/4 white onion

• 1 garlic clove

• 50g Calabrian chilli paste

• 100g tomato paste

• 120g pickled bell peppers

• 50g green olives

• a bunch of fresh basil

• extra virgin olive oil

• sea salt

Method

Cavatelli

To make the dough, combine semolina and water (click here for a recipe).

The finished dough should be smooth and pliable, just like the one shown below.

Cut a small portion of the dough and cover the rest with cling film to prevent it from drying out.

Roll the dough into a log on an unfloured wooden chopping board for better grip. Lightly sprinkle semolina on top, then cut the log into 1cm segments. Gently toss the pieces in flour.

Press each piece with your thumb, gently dragging it toward you in one motion, as demonstrated in the short video down below.

Here’s a longer video showing how to make cavatelli:

Repeat with the remaining dough, keeping the unused portion covered with cling film to prevent it from drying out.

Sauce

Cut the pickled red peppers into strips and remove the pits from the olives, if necessary.

Next, finely dice a quarter of a white onion and mince a garlic clove.

Remove the sausage from its casing and tear it into small pieces.

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a pan over medium heat (don’t use too much oil, as the pork sausages will release their fat).

Add the diced onion and minced garlic to the pan, cooking until softened, about 5 minutes. Then, add the cooked sausage pieces to the pan.

Stir in the Calabrian chilli and tomato paste.

Add the pickled peppers and olives, and stir again. Season with salt to taste. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of water to thin it out. Let the sauce simmer on low heat for a few minutes.

Serving

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a generous amount of salt.

Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook for about 8 minutes, or until al dente.

Warm up the sauce.

When the pasta is ready, use a slotted spoon to remove the cavatelli and transfer them to the sauce. Mix everything thoroughly, then garnish with fresh basil leaves on top.