Okay, so today I decided to dive into making tortelli. I’ve made ravioli before, but tortelli are a bit different, more like little hats. It’s all about the folding technique, and let me tell you, it was a bit of a learning curve!
Getting Started
First, I made the pasta dough. I always use a simple recipe: 00 flour, eggs, a pinch of salt, and a drizzle of olive oil. I kneaded it until it was smooth and elastic, then wrapped it in plastic wrap and let it rest for about 30 minutes. This is crucial – don’t skip the resting!
While the dough was resting, I whipped up the filling. Today, I went with a classic ricotta and spinach filling. I sautéed some fresh spinach with garlic, then mixed it with ricotta, Parmesan cheese, a bit of nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Pretty standard, but always delicious.
Rolling and Filling
Next up, rolling out the dough. I have a pasta machine, which makes life a lot easier. I started on the widest setting and gradually worked my way down to the second-thinnest setting. You want the dough to be thin but not so thin that it tears easily.
Once the dough was rolled out, I used a round cookie cutter to cut out circles. Then, I placed a small spoonful of filling in the center of each circle.
The Tricky Part: Folding
This is where things got interesting. Folding tortelli is a bit different from ravioli. I watched a few videos online to get the hang of it. Basically, you fold the circle in half to form a half-moon, then pinch the two corners together and bring them around to meet, forming a little hat shape. Sounds easy, right? Well, it took a few tries to get it right. My first few looked a bit… wonky. But hey, practice makes perfect!
- Fold in half.
- Pinch corners.
- Bring corners together.
- form little hat shape.
Cooking and Serving
Once I had all my tortelli shaped, I brought a large pot of salted water to a boil. I carefully dropped the tortelli in and cooked them for about 3-4 minutes, until they floated to the surface.
I served them with a simple brown butter and sage sauce. Just melted some butter in a pan, added some fresh sage leaves, and let it cook until the butter was golden brown and nutty. So good!
Overall, it was a fun and rewarding experience. It definitely took some patience and a bit of trial and error, but the end result was worth it. Homemade pasta is always a treat, and these little tortelli were no exception. I might try a different filling next time – maybe butternut squash or mushroom. The possibilities are endless!
