Ricotta Tortellini Recipes

RICOTTA TORTELLINI

Steps:

• For filling:
• Mash all ingredients in a medium bowl until well blended and smooth. Cover and chill while preparing dough.
• For dough:
• Place first 3 ingredients in bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook. Mix at low speed until dough pulls away from side of bowl, about 4 minutes. Place on work surface; knead until smooth, adding water by teaspoonfuls if dry, 2-3 minutes (dough is fairly stiff). Divide in 4, flatten, wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.
• Working with 1 dough round at a time, run dough through widest setting of a pasta machine. Fold in half; run through machine. Repeat 7 times. Roll through machine without folding, decreasing width setting after each roll, until 1/16" thick. Transfer to a floured surface.
• Using a 3" cookie cutter, cut dough into circles. Spoon 1 rounded teaspoonful of filling into center of each dough. Brush edges lightly with egg white; fold over and press to seal, forming a half-moon shape. Fold and press tips together, moistening with egg white to seal. Transfer to a lightly floured rimmed baking sheet. DO AHEAD: Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt; add tortelloni. Simmer, stirring gently, until cooked through, 2-3 minutes after they begin to float. Using a slotted spoon, divide tortelloni among bowls. Drizzle melted butter over and serve with cheese.

TORTELLINI WITH SPINACH-RICOTTA FILLING AND PARMESAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the butter and garlic a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the garlic is lightly browned, about 1 minute, stir in the spinach, season with salt and pepper and continue cooking until wilted. Transfer the cooked spinach to a colander to drain and cool, about 15 minutes. When cooled, gently squeeze the spinach dry, chop it and put in a medium bowl. Fold in the ricotta. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Roll out the pasta: Divide the pasta dough in half, working with one half at a time and keeping the other piece wrapped. Set up a pasta roller attachment on a stand mixer (or secure a hand roller to the side of your work surface). Lightly flour a work surface and roll out your dough until it is thin enough to pass through the pasta roller. Set your roller to the widest setting. Turn on the pasta roller and pass the dough through once. Fold the rolled-out piece of dough over itself, and then pass through the roller again. If the edges begin to fray or the dough gets sticky or damp, lightly dust both sides with flour. Repeat six or seven more times, until the dough is smooth. Adjust the roller to the second widest setting, dust both sides of the dough with flour, and pass it through twice (without folding). Repeat, adjusting to a thinner setting each time and passing through twice, until the dough is thin enough that it is slightly translucent.
• Fill the tortellini: Dust a work surface and rimmed baking sheet with semolina flour. Lay out the sheet of fresh pasta on the prepared surface and trim into 3 pieces. Cut the pasta sheets into 2-to 3-inch rounds (for tortellini) or squares (for cappelletti). Lightly dampen the pasta with a mister or brush and spoon a teaspoon-sized mound of filling in the center of each piece of pasta. Fold it in half to create a triangle (for square pasta) or a half-moon (for round pasta). Press firmly to seal the edges and eliminate any air. Grab the folded corners of the pasta and place a finger at the center of the folded side of the pasta. Pull the edges around your finger and press the ends together to seal, creating a little pasta "ring" around your finger. Remove your finger and transfer the finished stuffed pasta to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces.
• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rapid boil while you prepare the sauce.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then turn off the stove while you cook the pasta
• Drop the tortellini into the boiling water and stir immediately. Leave the tortellini to cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 minutes.
• Use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer the cooked pasta to the melted butter along with 1/2 cup pasta water. Stir to combine and simmer over medium heat for 1 minute, then add the Parmesan. Add some basil and toss to combine. Serve with additional grated Parmesan, if desired.
• Mound the flour in the center of a clean countertop or cutting board. Make a well in the center of the flour 3 to 4 inches wide.
• Crack the eggs into the well and add a pinch of salt. Using a fork, break the yolks and begin to beat the eggs as you would if making scrambled eggs.
• Continue stirring the eggs with a fork in large circles, slowly incorporating the flour. When the eggs form a thick mass and become difficult to stir, about 3 minutes, fold the loose flour from the edges into the pile with a bench scraper and knead until a smooth dough forms. Discard any excess flour.
• Shape the dough into a flat disk, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 20 minutes before rolling. If waiting more than 1 hour, refrigerate or freeze the dough. The dough will keep refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA TORTELLINI

Steps:

• Place spinach, water, and a pinch of salt in a pot over medium-high heat; cover pot and cook until spinach is completely wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and squeeze out all the water; let spinach cool to room temperature in a colander.
• Soften ricotta cheese in a large bowl using a fork until creamy.
• Squeeze out any excess water from the cooled spinach. Finely chop spinach with a knife or process in a blender. Transfer to the bowl with ricotta. Add Parmesan cheese, egg, nutmeg, salt, and pepper; mix well.
• Divide pasta dough into 6 equal pieces. Take 1 piece and cover the rest with plastic wrap. Flatten the piece between your palms and press through the widest setting of your pasta machine. Sprinkle flour over flattened pasta dough, fold in half lengthwise, and run through the pasta machine again. Repeat this process 3 or 4 times, always flouring, folding, and passing through the widest setting until dough is smooth and even in size.
• Change pasta machine to the middle setting and pass dough through. Move pasta machine setting to the next to the last setting and pass dough through. Cut the sheet in half, widthwise. Pass each half through the pasta machine in the thinnest and last setting, creating 2 long and very thin sheets; gently transfer to a floured work surface, trimming edges. Cut into 2 even rectangles.
• Cut dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Drop a teaspoon of ricotta filling in the middle of each square. Brush the edges with water and fold over diagonally into a triangle shape. Press well to squeeze out any air. Stretch the 2 ends of the triangle and a fold them together, wrapping them around your finger; seal. Gently fold back the top corner.
• Transfer the tortellini to a floured plate or work surface. Proceed the same way with remaining dough and filling. Let tortellini stand for 30 minutes.
• Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil; cook tortellini, working in batches, until they float, 6 to 7 minutes.

TORTELLINI WITH RICOTTA, SPINACH & BACON

Steps:

• Heat the grill. Boil the pasta according to pack instructions, then tip into a colander and cool under gently running water. Meanwhile, grill the bacon on a baking tray until golden and crisp at the edges. When almost ready, tip the walnuts onto the tray to toast a little. Snip the bacon into strips.
• Mix the lemon zest and juice, Parmesan and oil in a large bowl. Season with pepper, then tip in the spinach, tortellini, bacon and walnuts. Toss well, add the ricotta in small blobs, then gently toss. Season to taste, then serve with a drizzle more oil and more Parmesan, if you like.