Homemade Cavatelli with Slow Cooked Pork Ragù
Method
Start by making the ragu as it will need to slow cook for 3-4 hours.
To make the ragu, heat ¼ cup (60ml) olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over high heat, add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then add the pork and brown all over for 2–3 minutes. Remove the pork and set aside. Pour the remaining oil into the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrot, celery, juniper berries and marjoram and cook, stirring, for a few minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.
Return the pork to the pan and then deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up any bits caught on the base. Simmer away until the alcohol has evaporated (this should take about 2 minutes). Pour in the tomatoes and stock and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Add the bat leaves and season with salt, then cover and cook gently for 3–4 hours, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water if it starts to dry out.
While the ragú is cooking away, make your cavatelli.
Put the flours and salt in a large mixing bowl, make a well in the centre and slowly pour in the water, mixing as you go to incorporate the flour. Don’t add all the water at once as you may not need it all, depending on the brand of flour you use; by the same token, you may need to add a little extra water if the dough is too stiff or dry. What you are looking for is a form, but pliable dough.
Tip the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 3–4 minutes or until it comes together in a smooth ball. Add a little extra flour if it feels a bit sticky. Wrap it in beeswax cloth or a slightly dampened tea towel and let it rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Take the dough out of the fridge, dust your bench with flour and cut the dough into 6–8 pieces. Roll each piece into a long log about 5 mm thick, then cut into 1 cm pieces.
Working with one piece of pasta at a time, use a floured butter knife to push it down then drag it towards you to roll your cavatelli. The slit in the middle is the secret to trapping as much sauce as possible. Keep going until you have it shaped all the cavatelli, then leave them to dry on a tray lined with baking paper and dusted with flour at room temperature. The longer they are left to dry , the longer the cooking time required. If left to dry for 1-2 hours, they will need about 4-5 minutes in salted boiling water.
Check your sauce. If you are towards the end of the cooking time, taste for salt and adjust accordingly, and season with white pepper. Remove the pork and shred with a fork, then return it to the sauce.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, drop in the cavatelli and cook for 4-5 minutes or until al dente. Drain well, but be sure to reserve a couple of tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to add to the ragu. This will help bind the sauce and create a richer, creamier texture.
Add the cavatelli and reserved water to the ragu and toss to combine. Served dusted with pecorino and a little extra white pepper.
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the sauce
Colavita - 100 ml extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, skin on, bashed with the back of a knife
800g pork shoulder, cut into 5cm chunks
1 brown onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
2–3 juniper berries, lightly crushed with a mortar and pestle or rolling pin
¼ cup marjoram, leaves picked
200 ml red wine
400 g can chopped tomatoes
2 cups (500 ml) good-quality beef or chicken stock
3–4 bay leaves
salt flakes and ground white pepper
freshly grated pecorino to serve
For the Cavatelli
Mulino Captuo 300g durum wheat flour (semolina), plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon salt flakes
200 ml lukewarm water
Click on the video below to watch the full recipe
