Pasta

8 ounces semolina

7 eggs

¼ cup water

Pinch of salt

4 ounces all-purpose fl our, for dusting

or

Fresh pasta sheets purchased at a pasta store

(enough for 18 4 × 5-inch rectangles)

Filling

1 pound burrata cheese

1 tablespoon chopped fresh fl at-leaf Italian parsley 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Sauce

4 garlic cloves

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound ripe cherry, pear, or Sweet 100 tomatoes or 28 ounces canned cherry tomatoes (“Pomodorini del Vesuvio”)

1 stalk fresh basil plus torn basil leaves for garnish Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Some notes before you begin:

If you’re making this recipe during the summer months, use the ripe, sweet cherry tomatoes, not the fi rm ones used in salad. They don’t make good sauce as they don’t have enough liquid. (If good tomatoes are not in season, the canned tomatoes are preferable.)

Use the best extra-virgin olive oil. This dish is simple; don’t use a cooking olive oil.

If you can’t get sea salt or fl eur de sel, use coarse  kosher salt.

Grind the pepper in a pepper mill; do not use the  preground kind. You lose aroma and intensity.

Keep the burrata refrigerated.

Make the Pasta: Place the semolina fl our and

6 egg yolks in a stand mixer and start mixing on slow speed. (Save the whites for another purpose.) Slowly add the water as the dough becomes more solid and comes together as

one piece. Add a pinch of salt. When done, cover with a cloth and allow to rest for 10 to 20  minutes.

While the dough is resting, start the filling and prepare the sauce; then come back to make the caramelle. You’ll have everything ready in less than an hour.

Sprinkle the all-purpose fl our over your work surface and rolling pin so the dough won’t stick. With the rolling pin, stretch out your pasta dough to a thin layer—it should be a bit thinner than a commercially purchased lasagna noodle. Cut the pasta sheets into eighteen 4x5-inch rectangles. (You should have 2 extra.)

Make the Filling: Cut the burrata into large cubes. Using a slotted spoon, mix the cheese and parsley in a bowl, pressing down to form a compact mixture. Add the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Make the Sauce: Peel and gently crack the garlic cloves, but keep in one piece. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sauté the garlic in the oil until golden brown. Pour the tomatoes (if using canned tomatoes, include the juice) into the pan, and start breaking them up with a spoon. Toss in the stalk of basil. Lower the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook until sauce has reduced to the desired consistency.

Assemble the Caramelle: Divide the filling into 18 balls and place a spoonful on each rectangle on the 5-inch side. Beat the remaining egg and brush the four corners of the pasta. Roll the pasta into a cylinder, keeping the stuffing in the middle. Close shut the two ends, pressing hard against the table, and gently seal the length of the caramella by brushing with more egg wash and applying some pressure along the seal and a little pinch. Now squeeze both ends of the pasta separately, twisting slightly to give the impression of a wrapped candy. Your caramelle are done. Place in a dish lined with parchment paper or enough semolina fl our so that the pasta doesn’t stick.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place the caramelle in the water one by one, being careful that they don’t break. Boil for 4 to 5 minutes, until the middle of the caramelle begins to soften; it will no longer hold a stiff cylindrical shape.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the caramelle one by one to the pan with the tomato sauce and cook together for a couple of minutes. Don’t stir too much or the filling will break. Sprinkle with fresh basil.

Pour some sauce on the bottom of the plate, carefully set the caramelle over the sauce, and serve.

 

Buon appetito!

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