Chard And Ricotta Filling For Tortelli Recipes

TORTELLI WITH CABBAGE OR CHARD FILLING

Steps:

• To make the cabbage filling: Trim away tough or blemished leaves from the head of cabbage, cut out the entire core, and slice the head in quarters. With a sharp, long-bladed knife, thinly slice the cabbage wedges. You should have about 3 quarts of very fine shreds.
• Put the olive oil and the butter in the skillet, and set over medium heat. When the butter melts, scatter in the chopped pancetta; let it cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, as it sizzles and renders most of its fat.
• Heap the shredded cabbage in the skillet, season with the salt, and tumble it over to mix with the fat and pancetta. Pour in the hot water, cover the pan, and heat it quickly to a boil. Adjust the heat to maintain a steady bubbling simmer, and cook, covered, for about 1/2 hour, stirring and turning the cabbage now and then, until the shreds are very soft and the pan is nearly dry. Uncover, and cook away the remaining liquid (but don't let the cabbage brown), then empty the pan into a bowl to cool.
• When the cabbage is at room temperature, beat the egg with a pinch of salt, pour egg over the cabbage, and toss in with the shreds. Sprinkle the filling with the cup of grated cheese and the nutmeg, and toss until thoroughly blended.
• For the tortelli: Cut the pasta dough in six equal pieces, and roll out as described on pages 144-145. Make tortelli from one strip at a time. Lay a strip out horizontally in front of you on a lightly floured board. With the pastry wheel, trim the left, right, top, and bottom edges of the strip to form an even rectangle. Starting about 1 inch in from the left (short) edge of the strip and 1 inch above the bottom (long) edge, place a scant tablespoon of filling on the dough. Continue to make more mounds at 2-to-2 1/2-inch intervals. You should be able to fit eight to ten mounds on the strip, depending on length.
• With the pastry brush (or your fingertip) dipped in water, lightly moisten the top and bottom edges of the pasta strip; also wet the dough in a vertical line halfway between the mounds of filling. Fold the top edge down to align with the bottom edge, covering the mounds. Press lightly to seal the edges together, and press between the filling mounds, too. Finally, cut vertically (down) the lines between the mounds, separating the strip into individual tortelli. Arrange them in a single layer on a lined and floured tray. Continue to make more tortelli out of the other strips in the same way. Tortelli that you will cook soon can be left on the tray, lightly covered. Freeze tortelli for future use right on the trays until solid, then transfer them to freezer bags, packed airtight and sealed.
• To cook and serve tortelli for four, you will need thirty to forty pieces-eight or more per serving.
• Fill a large pasta pot with well-salted water, and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet or sauté pan (at least 12 inches in diameter), and keep it warm.
• Drop all the tortelli into the rapidly boiling water at once, stir, and return to the boil over high heat. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until the thickest part of the pasta is cooked through and perfectly al dente. Lift tortelli from the cooking pot with a spider, drain briefly, and lay them in the pan of melted butter.
• Tumble the tortelli over and over, gently, until all are coated; add a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water to extend the sauce if necessary. Sprinkle a cup or so of grated cheese over the tortelli, and spoon them into warm bowls. Drizzle a bit of the butter left in the pan over each portion, and serve immediately, with more cheese at the table.
• Cooking tortelli for six or more: If you want to serve all your homemade tortelli-enough for six portions (or eight small ones), you will need to cook them in two batches instead of all at once. For dressing this many pieces, I also suggest using a 14-inch skillet or sauté pan, increasing the melted butter to 12 ounces (1 1/2 sticks). Cook half the tortelli for 3 minutes or so, drain, drop them into the skillet, and keep them bathed in the warm butter while you cook up the second batch. Add these to the pan, turn to coat them all with butter, sprinkle with cheese, and serve.

CHARD AND RICOTTA FILLING FOR TORTELLI

Steps:

• Cut off the stems at the base of each chard leaf. If the central rib of the leaf is thick and tough, cut it out. (Save the trimmings for stock.) Pile up the trimmed leaves, and slice them crosswise into narrow ribbons, about 1/2 inch wide. You will have almost 6 quarts of loose chard shreds.
• Bring 5 or 6 quarts of water to boil in a big pot. When boiling, heap all the the chard into the pot, and stir, gradually submerging the strips. Return the water to the boil, and adjust the heat to keep it gently bubbling. Simmer the chard until tender, about 10 minutes. Pour the strips into a colander to drain and cool off , then squeeze them by handfuls, pressing out as much liquid as possible. Loosen the clumps, and pile the chard in a large bowl.
• When the chard is completely cool, beat the egg with a pinch of salt, pour it over, and toss with the chard shreds. Scatter the drained ricotta, the grated cheese, and grated nutmeg on top, and toss and stir until the filling is thoroughly blended. Follow the instructions in the master recipe to make tortelli (page 150), substituting the cooled chard filling for the cabbage filling.