Cavatelli is a kind of pasta that is very popular in Puglia and looks a bit like miniature hot dog buns. If you need to picture the process there is a steamy scene in ‘The Godfather III’, where the Corleone cousins roll out Cavatelli. If you want to try this dish our friends at Carlton Espresso will be featuring it as a special for the month of October.

Hand made durum wheat pasta in Puglia is a must and when you add the decadence of burrata you are treated to a classic Pugliese dish.

The escalating popularity of burrata has earned it a ‘hip’ status among foodies everywhere. Its origin is a town called Andria that, as it happens, is the hometown of QUOCo.’s very Sabino Matera. This simple dish will surely impress next time you do a spot of entertaining.

Ingredienti:

2 cloves garlic.

1 bunch basil

4 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt

300gm cherry tomatoes

250gm burrata

500gm cavatelli pasta

Serves four

Metodo:

Heat half the oil in a heavy pan and add whole cherry tomatoes, a handful of basil and roughly chopped garlic.

Continue to cook for about ten minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and have broken down.

Season with a pinch of sea salt to taste.

Frattempo:

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add sea salt and cavatelli pasta. Whether you have fresh or dry pasta will determine the cooking time.

When the pasta is al dente, strain it and return it to the pot.

Add the cherry tomato sauce, more basil and gently combine.

Servire:

Portion into four bowls, break the burrata evenly over the four dishes, garnish with a little more basil and drizzle over remaining olive oil.

Open a bottle of Cefalicchio Rosato, pour into four glasses, raise glasses and show appreciation for the finer things in life.

Eat, drink and be merry.