Maria’s Tortelloni with Ricotta & Spinach Recipe | Emilia Romagna, Italy
(Recipe & photos submitted by Andrea Calvi. Recipe is from his mother Maria.)
“This dish reminds me of childhood Sundays when there was no school and I used to wake up hearing the noise of the rolling pin of mom working on the dough in the kitchen. I used to sneak in the kitchen to grab a portion of freshly made pesto when she didn’t look (not that much because she would’ve noticed the loss!) and run back pretending I was not eating.“
“Nowadays, she still makes this dish for special moments when the family meets at the same table to talk about their life and, almost 25 years later, the feeling this dish unleashes is the same. If you’re born in the north of Italy, especially in Emilia Romagna region, the homeland of lasagne and tortellini, then your mom probably knows this recipe who learned from her mother and you know you’ll have to teach to your children, since it’s a really traditional dish and, after all, you can’t really forget the moments spent with your parents teaching you how to close the tortelloni. You were a child and it was just fun!”
“Growing up you see many variations of this recipe but the one I’ll show you it’s really unique to me.”
Ingredients for Tortelloni with Ricotta & Spinach Recipe
(4 servings makes around 80 tortelloni)
Ingredients for the Pesto
- 250g of ricotta cheese
- 500g of fresh spinach or 150g of frozen spinach
- 60g of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 egg yolk
- Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
- Freshly ground nutmeg
Ingredients for the Pasta
- 150g type ‘0’ flour
- 150g semolina pasta flour
- 3 eggs
Ingredients for the Topping
- Unsalted butter
- Fresh sage leaves
- Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Preparation for Tortelloni with Ricotta & Spinach Recipe
Pesto
Here’s everything you need:
Wash fresh spinach and bring a big pot of water to boil. When the water is boiling add salt and after a while add the spinaches. Cover and let them cook for 5 to 8 minutes (or until they’re soft); if you’re using frozen spinach then it’s ok until they’re thawed.
Tip: Drain them and put them in a bowl with cold water (it’s ok to use ice to cool it down) so you will not cook the egg when you mix everything together.
Drain them again and squeeze them with your hands to make sure there’s no water left, then chop them finely and move to a bowl together with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, egg yolk, and ricotta cheese. Tip: add the ricotta cheese to the bowl by sifting it with a strainer.
Mix everything well and add salt, ground pepper and a little grating of nutmeg (just a little bit is ok, it’s not expected in the original recipe but it will give it an extra taste, trust me!). Cover and let it rest for at least a couple of hours in the fridge.
Pasta:
Ok, now for the fun part.
Let’s start mixing the two type of flour together to form the classic flour fountain. Add the eggs in the middle and start mixing everything up until you get a firm and smooth dough.
It should not stick to your hands but only to itself. Make sure it’s not too much dry (if it is, wet your hands with some water and knead the dough a little bit more).
Wrap it with the cling film and let it rest for a couple of hours (out of the fridge).
When it’s ready, roll out the dough with the rolling pin, or with the pasta machine roller until you get the thickness as tiny as possible (if you’re using the machine, make it to the last measure).
Cut into lines and create squares of 5*5cm, place the pesto in the middle of the square (a sac a poche will help!). First, close them up in a triangle and then, leaning on your middle finger, pull the edges and close them up.
You should get around 80 tortelloni.
Cooking & Topping
Ok, we’re almost ready to eat. Bring a big pot of water to boil and when ready add salt and a little bit of olive oil in the water (to make sure tortelloni won’t stick to each other). Let them cook for 6 to 8 minutes depending on the thickness you’ve made previously.
In a cooking pan, heat some unsalted butter with fresh sage leaves (it takes 8 leaves every 40 tortelloni), add cooked tortelloni, and season with grated parmesan cheese.
As a last touch, ground some black pepper on top.
We usually eat this dish, drinking some Lambrusco wine, a traditional red wine of Emilia Romagna region.
Buon Appetito!
