Eat this Word: Cavatelli

WHAT? Shapely pasta. Few Americans understand either the regional diversity of food in Italy or the pride that Italians take in their cuisine. Take these little, handmade pasta curls, for example. Made from a stiff dough of semolina and water that is traditionally shaped on a wooden work surface by curling it with the tip of a butter knife, cavatelli are claimed by the Molize, Puglia, and Abruzzo regions of Italy. The dough and the shaping technique are similar to those used for orechiette, but the shape is closer to gnocchi. Cavatelli (or cavatieddi in Apulian dialect) are traditionally served with cooked bitter greens, such as arugula, and tomato sauce. WHERE? Duskie Estes, John Stewart, Justin Everett, Janine Falvo, and Bruce Riezenman's Beard House dinner WHEN? April 14, 2010 HOW? American Wagyu Eye of Rib-Eye with Sonoma Foie Gras Cavatelli, Bellwether Farms Carmody Cheese, and Black Trumpet Mushrooms