Homemade Cavatelli w/ a machine

Frozen Cavatelli ready to be boiled.

 Cavatelli are a lot like gnocchi only they are made with ricotta rather than potato and although we were a gnocchi family growing up I have come to love cavatelli as an adult. This is mainly due to the fact that my wonderful  Mom gave me a Cavatelli Machine for Christmas! I make the dough in a food processor and then flip them out in this little machine in a matter of minutes making homemade cavatelli so simple : )
If I am serving these with a Ragu I serve 6 smaller portions but if I am serving them with a simple Marinara or a Tomato Butter Sauce I serve 4-5 larger portions.

Yummy Cavatelli w/ Marinara sauce!

Ingredients (Serves 4 large portions or 6 smaller)

2 cups of flour

1 egg

8 ounces ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 - 1/2 cup milk (you will not need all of this)

small grating of nutmeg or pinch of ground nutmeg

Directions

Using the dough or metal blade process the flour, egg, ricotta and salt together, pour the milk by the tablespoon full through the tube and process again until a dough ball forms and then 30 more seconds.Some days I need only a few tablespoon and some days almost the whole amount. Then dump out onto a floured counter top and knead a few times. You do not want a sticky dough. Allow this to rest covered for 15 minutes.

Now roll dough into a large rectangle 1/2 inch thick trimming sides to form a perfect rectangle. Cut the dough into 3/4 inch strips. Now dust each strip with flour on both sides and then run each strip through the machine, that's it! I like yo have some flour on the counter below the machine and I also dust the wooden bars of the machine with flour each time as well. Sometimes if you let them collect in  a pile they stick so be swooshing them aside as you crank them out allowing them to become slightly dusted with the flour on the counter.
I like to freeze my cavatelli to firm it up a bit. I do this by laying on a tray and freezing until firm then placing into a baggie, This will keep for several months!
Cooking & Serving Instructions:
Bring a well salted large pot of water to boil.
Add cavatelli and allow to float to top.
Then boil for 1-2 minutes, you want tender but not mushy.
Remove with a strainer and place in serving bowl.
Add sauce and serve with Parmesan or Romano Cheese.
If you want to make this ahead and serve later you can also bake this by following these instructions for my Gnocchi Al Forno.

 Cavatelli Machine!

The dough is firm enough to roll and not sticky.

Roll out and trim neatly.

Cut into strips, mine are not perfect but oh well!

Crank it through!

I took the scraps and made a finger width roll and it worked, although a tad bit smaller.

Voila!