Cavatelli Chitarra Recipe

Bring water

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining when pasta is cooked.

If using fresh/house-made squid ink cavatelli: dust with a little flour to prevent sticking and cook until al dente (usually 2–4 minutes). If using store-bought dried: follow package instructions and cook to firm al dente.

While the pasta cooks, prepare all other components so they can be combined quickly.

Roast the kabocha: preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Toss the cubed kabocha with 1 tbsp olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread on a sheet pan and roast 18–22 minutes, turning once, until tender and lightly caramelized. Set aside.

Blanch the rapini: in the boiling pasta water, blanch rapini for 1–2 minutes until bright green and tender-crisp. Transfer to an ice bath, then drain and coarsely chop. Reserve.

Cook pancetta and sausage: heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the diced pancetta and cook until fat renders and edges are crispy, about 6–8 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels, leaving 1–2 tbsp fat in the pan. Add the parmesan sausage (removed from casing and crumbled) and cook until browned and cooked through, about 4–5 minutes. Remove and set aside with pancetta.

Sear rock shrimp: add 1 tbsp olive oil to the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rock shrimp in a single layer, season with salt and pepper, and sear 1–2 minutes per side until pink and just cooked through. Remove and keep warm. Do not overcook—shrimp will finish in the sauce briefly.

In the same large skillet, reduce heat to medium and add 1 tbsp butter and the minced shallot. Sauté 1–2 minutes until translucent. Add the sliced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant but not browned.

Deglaze with white wine, scraping up browned bits, and let reduce by half, about 1–2 minutes.

Add crushed tomatoes, calabrian/chili flakes (1 tsp), 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 cup stock. Simmer gently 6–8 minutes to meld flavors — this is the fra diavolo base. Taste and adjust heat with additional red pepper flakes if desired.

Make caper butter: in a small saucepan or bowl, melt remaining 4 tbsp butter over low heat, stir in the rinsed capers and lemon zest and juice from half the lemon. Keep warm.

Combine: stir the caper butter into the fra diavolo base off heat, reserving a small spoonful for finishing. This yields a spicy tomato-caper butter sauce that will coat the pasta.

Add cooked cavatelli to the fra diavolo-caper butter sauce in the skillet (if needed, add 1/4–1/2 cup of reserved pasta water to loosen and create a silky emulsion). Toss gently to coat, adding roasted kabocha cubes and chopped rapini so they heat through and distribute evenly.

Fold in the cooked pancetta, crumbled parmesan sausage, and seared rock shrimp. Toss just until heated through, 1–2 minutes. If sauce needs more richness, add the reserved tablespoon of caper butter.

Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and a squeeze of remaining lemon juice as desired.

Plate portions of the cavatelli. Scatter crumbled Gorgonzola over each portion so it melts slightly from the warm pasta.

Top with toasted pangrattato, chopped toasted walnuts and a light sprinkle of grated Parmesan for salty umami. Finish with the snipped chives and a grind of fresh black pepper.

Serve immediately while hot.