Tortelloni di Ricotta e Spinaci

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Pasta machine (hand-crank or attachment)
• •Large wooden board for kneading and rolling
• •Spider or slotted spoon
• •Large skillet for the sauce
• •Sheet trays for holding formed tortelloni

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pasta dough

   Mound the flour on a wooden board or clean work surface. Create a well in the center, deep enough to hold the eggs without spilling. Crack the eggs into the well. Add the olive oil and salt. Using a fork, beat the eggs gently while gradually drawing flour from the inner walls of the well. Continue until the mixture becomes too thick to work with a fork.

   The board matters. Wood has texture that helps develop the dough. Marble or steel are too slick and too cold.
2. 2

   Knead the dough

   Bring the dough together with your hands. Begin kneading: push the dough away from you with the heel of your palm, fold it back over itself, rotate it a quarter turn, and repeat. Knead for a full 10 minutes. The dough should become smooth, elastic, and feel like your earlobe when pressed. Wrap it tightly in plastic and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Do not skip this rest. The gluten must relax or rolling will be impossible.

3. 3

   Prepare the spinach

   Wash the spinach in several changes of cold water until no grit remains in the bowl. Place the wet spinach in a large pot, cover, and cook over medium heat until completely wilted, about 5 minutes. The water clinging to the leaves provides all the moisture you need. Drain in a colander. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the spinach in your fists until absolutely dry. This is essential. Wet spinach will make soggy filling. Chop the spinach very fine.

4. 4

   Make the filling

   If your ricotta is wet (supermarket ricotta often is), drain it in a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth for one hour. In a bowl, combine the drained ricotta, squeezed spinach, egg yolk, grated Parmigiano, and nutmeg. Mix thoroughly. Taste and add salt as needed. The filling should be creamy but hold its shape on a spoon. If it slumps, it is too wet. Add more grated cheese to bind it.

   Fresh ricotta from an Italian market or cheese shop is worth seeking. The texture and flavor are incomparably better than the grainy, watery product in plastic tubs.
5. 5

   Roll the pasta

   Divide the rested dough into four pieces. Keep the pieces you are not working with covered. Flatten one piece into a rough rectangle. Pass it through a pasta machine at the widest setting. Fold it in thirds like a letter, rotate 90 degrees, and pass through again. Repeat this folding and rolling three times to develop the structure. Then roll progressively thinner, reducing the setting each time, until you reach the second-thinnest setting. The pasta should be thin enough to see your hand through it, but not so thin it tears.

6. 6

   Cut and fill

   Lay the pasta sheet on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 3-inch squares. Place a generous teaspoon of filling in the center of each square. Do not overfill. Overfilled tortelloni burst when cooked. Fold the square diagonally to form a triangle, pressing firmly around the filling to seal and push out any air pockets. Bring the two bottom corners of the triangle together and pinch to seal, forming the characteristic shape. Place finished tortelloni on a floured tray, not touching. Work quickly. Fresh pasta dries fast.

7. 7

   Prepare the sauce

   Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When the foam subsides, add the sage leaves. Cook until the butter turns golden brown and smells nutty, and the sage leaves become crisp at the edges, about 3 minutes. Watch carefully. The distance between brown butter and burnt butter is seconds. Remove from heat immediately when ready.

8. 8

   Cook the tortelloni

   Bring a very large pot of water to a gentle boil. Add salt generously. It should taste like the sea. Slide the tortelloni into the water, stirring gently once to prevent sticking. Cook until the pasta is tender and the edges are slightly translucent, 3 to 4 minutes for fresh pasta. Do not rely on the clock. Taste one. The filling should be hot throughout and the pasta should offer pleasant resistance, not mushiness.

9. 9

   Finish and serve

   Using a spider or slotted spoon, lift the tortelloni from the water and transfer directly to the skillet with the sage butter. Reserve a cup of pasta water. Toss gently over low heat for one minute, allowing the pasta to absorb the butter. Add a splash of pasta water if needed to help the sauce cling. Divide among warm plates. Scatter the crisp sage leaves over the top. Pass Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table. Once the pasta is sauced, serve it promptly, inviting your guests and family to put off talking and start eating.

Chef Tips

• •Fresh pasta dries quickly. Cover sheets you are not working with immediately. If the edges dry, they will not seal properly and your tortelloni will open during cooking.
• •To test if the dough has rested enough, poke it with your finger. It should spring back slowly. If it springs back immediately, let it rest longer.
• •Tortelloni can be frozen on the tray until solid, then transferred to a bag. Cook directly from frozen, adding one minute to the cooking time. Do not thaw first or they will become soggy.
• •The nutmeg must be freshly grated. Pre-ground nutmeg tastes like sawdust. A whole nutmeg and a microplane take seconds and make all the difference.

Advance Preparation

• •The pasta dough can be made up to one day ahead, wrapped tightly in plastic, and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before rolling.
• •The filling can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. Stir well before using.
• •Formed tortelloni can be refrigerated on a floured tray, covered, for up to four hours before cooking.
• •For longer storage, freeze the tortelloni on trays until solid, then transfer to freezer bags. They keep for two months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 225g)