Cavatelli with chicory and cauliflower

 Ingredients: flour water salt for sauce: chicory leaves cauliflower oil salt garlic hot pepper

To prepare these delicious pasta, we start with a mixture of flour, salt, and lukewarm water, at room temperature. It is essential that the water is added gradually until we achieve an elastic and smooth dough. This step is crucial, as the texture of the pasta will depend on the consistency of the dough. Once we have obtained the desired dough, we divide it into smaller pieces. From each piece, we form rolls by rolling them with both hands on a flat surface, ensuring that their thickness is about 5 mm.

After obtaining the rolls, we cut them with a knife into pieces of approximately 2 cm, making sure that all pieces are the same size. This will ensure even boiling, preventing some pasta from being overcooked compared to others. With the help of our fingers, we gently press on each mini-roll and, while applying pressure, we lightly pull towards us, shaping the final form of the pasta. This movement gives them a distinctive texture, which will contribute to the absorption of the sauce.

For the sauce, we use salted water, in which we add chopped chicory leaves and small florets of cauliflower. If you do not have chicory, it is no problem; the sauce will be just as tasty without it. While these ingredients are boiling, we focus on cooking the pasta. Once the chicory and cauliflower are cooked, we remove them from the water with a slotted spatula and transfer them to a pan with a little oil, garlic, and chili pepper. If you prefer, you can use garlic powder and paprika to add flavor.

We continue cooking the ingredients in the pan over low heat, allowing the flavors to combine. Meanwhile, the pasta is boiled in the same water in which the "weeds" were cooked. When the pasta begins to rise to the surface, we start monitoring them, calculating about 3 minutes of boiling, depending on how cooked you prefer them, whether al dente or more well-cooked. It is important to taste them along the way to achieve the desired texture.

Once the pasta is ready, we remove it with the spatula or drain it in a colander. Then, we carefully transfer it to the pan, over the "weed" mixture, adding a tablespoon of the water in which they boiled. We mix everything over the heat for a minute, allowing the pasta to absorb the flavors of the sauce. Serve immediately, to enjoy the fresh and rich taste of this dish. The combined flavors and the texture of the fresh pasta will turn this recipe into a true culinary feast.

 Tags:  garlic pepper flour oil cauliflower vegetarian recipes