Cavatelli with a Lemony Sausage Broccoli Rabe Sauce

Place the sifted flour on a wooden board and make a well in the center.

Add the water and the salt in the center of the well.

With a fork, start incorporating the flour and the water until you get a thick batter. Pull in the flour from the bottom of the well.

With the help of a dough scraper, incorporate the rest of the flour (it may appear to you that there isn't enough water. Just keep kneading, magically everything comes together).

Knead for about 8-10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough feels sticky, add a little bit of flour. If, on the other hand, the dough feels dry, sprinkle a few drops of water over the dough and continue kneading.

Wrap dough in cling wrap and let it rest for about one hour at room temperature

Cut the dough into 4 pieces.

Roll out each piece of dough to approximately ¼ inch thick. Make sure your board and rolling pin are floured.

Cut the dough into ¾ - 1 inch rolls. (like big worms)

Cut each roll into 1/4 - 1/2 inch pieces.

Using the index finger, apply a gentle pressure on the dough, dragging it toward you. There should be a slight curl that forms. If you are using a cavatelli board, you will get ridges on one side.)

Place cavatelli on large baking sheets that have been dusted with flour. Place the cavatelli in a single layer and not touching one another.

Continue until all the dough has been formed into cavatelli.

Allow to air dry for at least 30 minutes.

If using immediately, drop in a large pot of salted boiling water for a few minutes. The cavatelli are done when they float to the top. (Try to shake off as much as the flour as possible before boiling them). Taste to make sure they are cooked to your liking.

If freezing, place the tray of cavatelli in the freezer and once frozen, place in plastic bag in the freezer. Can be cooked frozen. (Should take 6-8 minutes to cook. Once they rise to the top, they should be done.

Separate the florets of broccoli rabe from the leafy parts of the vegetable

Blanch in heavily salted boiling water until tender, then shock it In ice water to lower the temperature and stop the cooking process.

Chop the broccoli into smaller bite-sized pieces

Take sausage out of casing and break it up into small pieces

Sauté the pancetta and allow to caramelize and begin to form a fond

Add your herbs, chicken stock, and butter, and stir, allowing your saucet to emulsify. The cavatelli should be ready by now, so add the pasta to your sauce and let it cook to absorb the flavor into the pasta.

After a few minutes, its ready to serve and enjoy!