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Get ready, this is as authentic as it gets! Today, my neighbor here in Sicily, Sara, called me, “Wanita, vieni, dobbiamo fare i cavatelli!” (Wanita, come, we have to make cavatelli!”) And so we did! It was soooo good and you will get the authentic feel for how it was done in the past and continues to be done =) Maybe you remember your grandmother making homemade pasta? It’s an art all by itself!

Recipe for homemade pasta:

-1 Kilo (2.2 lbs) of durum wheat semolina (….The kind of flour pasta is made of. To find it, try a local Italian specialty store or middle eastern store).

-3 eggs

-Water

-1 TBSP salt

-Pasta maker or hand held pasta gadget (If you can’t find a pasta maker, check out the ones on Amazon.com)

And here we go….how Sara does cavatelli!

Sara has a wood board made for making home made pasta…..you add the flour, make a well, and add the three eggs and salt…..

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Next, you start pulling in the dough a bit at a time and mix with the eggs, adding water as you go, until firm dough is formed……

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Form dough into a log and, cover with a kitchen towel, and set aside for while you assemble the pasta machine………

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Next, bring out your pasta maker or pasta gadget and proceed making the shapes you like…..

Here is Sara making cavatelli using her pasta maker………

Set the pasta maker on number 5

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Make sure you run it through the pasta maker twice or three times, folding the dough in half each time, to make sure the pasta is leveled well.

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Now, take these slabs of pasta, cut into two inch strips and then roll each strip into a long rope……..

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And now, the cavatelli maker………I want to buy one!

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Feed the rope into the cavatelli maker……It will curve the pasta, make the lines, and cut them……

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Now…..what did they do before the cavatelli maker was invented? Ahhhh, Sara used to do it by hand! Either with a fork (imagine!) or with a wooden block. Here’s how…..remember those 2 inch wide strips?…..she used to cut them into pieces, then she took a strip and rubbed it against the wooden block, which made the lines and curled the pasta…..imagine having to do each one by hand!

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Now, after all the cavatelli are made, she left them to dry for a bit (1\2 hour) on a clean tablecloth before boiling them. (If you want to freeze fresh pasta, be sure to leave the pasta to dry OVERNIGHT)

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Of course we were invited to lunch….here is the grand masterpiece! =)

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Hope you enjoyed seeing how authentic pasta is made as much as Sara enjoyed sharing it with you! If you make the recipe and like it, please leave a comment so that I can let Sara know!

Happy pasta making and buon appetito!

Wanita =)

For more delicious recipes, be sure to check out my new eBook “Cucina Siciliana” filled with lots of truly authentic recipes given to me by family and friends here in Sicily….it’s only 99 cents!

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