Cocoa cavatelli

Cavatelli are gnocchi-shaped pasta but with a hollow centre - hence the name cavatelli, which means "little excavations." If you do not want to invest the time to make them fresh, you can buy them prepared, dry or fresh, from a pasta shop. But if you do make them, you can enhance the flavour with simple additions to the basic recipe, such as, in this case, cocoa powder, which makes the dish more interesting. If you're game, your local Italian supermarket or kitchen store should carry a cavatelli maker, a great little tool. Buon appetito!

Servings: 6 to 8

Ready Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Cavatelli dough

1½ cups white all-purpose flour

2 cups semolina flour

4 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons olive oil

Pinch of salt

Warm water not exceeding 60 per cent of total dry goods

Full dish

2 bunches spring onions, cleaned and cut on the bias into 1-inch pieces

2 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes, washed and squeezed to remove some seeds

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1½ cup fava beans

1 red chilli pepper, julienned

½ cup fresh ricotta cheese

½ cup fresh basil leaves

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound fresh cocoa-infused cavatelli

Method

Sift the flours together into a bowl and make a well in the centre; add salt and olive oil to the well. Slowly add warm water to the well, enough to make a firm dough. Knead well until dough is slightly shiny. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for at least one hour. Roll the dough out into 3/4-inch round dowels. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Use index and middle fingers to press and drag piece of dough until it rolls onto itself to create a cavatello. (Once finished, you'll have a bunch of cavatelli.) If using a machine, this will be a simple step.

Cook the cavatelli in salted water. At the same time, preheat a skillet and add oil and garlic, then add green onions and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and add fava beans, chilli pepper and two tablespoons pasta water and simmer gently until cavatelli are cooked. Strain pasta and add to the skillet along with butter, basil and ricotta. Toss well and serve with a generous amount of sprinkled Parmigiano on the side.

Chef Massimo Capra is co-owner of Mistura and Sopra Upper Lounge in Toronto.