ezRecipe-Zee: Cooking Recipe: How to make Half-Moon Pasta With Potatoes And Ricotta Cheese -

Half-Moon Pasta With Potatoes And Ricotta Cheese -

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Date Added:	February 29, 2008
Calories:	819
Serves:	0
Prep. Time:	0:00
Category:	Appetizers, Italian / Pasta / Pizza

Ingredients:

                    === FOR THE TORTELLI ===
1     pound         potatoes
                    cut into chunks
1/2   pound         ricotta cheese
1     large         egg
1     teaspoon      fine sea salt
1/2   teaspoon      freshly-grated nutmeg
1     recipe        Handmade Pasta dough
4     quarts        water per each 4 dozen tortelli
1     tablespoon    salt
                    === FOR THE SAUCE ===
1/2   cup           unsalted butter - (1 stick)
1/4   cup           freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2     tablespoons   freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions: one line for each direction. When saved the lines will be numbered.

Cover the potatoes with cold water in a medium-size saucepan, bring to a boil, and boil until a knife slides easily into them. Drain the potatoes, transfer them to a large bowl, and mash them with a hand masher until smooth. Stir in the ricotta cheese, egg, salt, and nutmeg. Set the mixture aside.
Divide the dough into four pieces and work with one piece at a time, keeping the remaining pieces under a bowl.
If making the tortelli by hand, roll each piece with a rolling pin into a 14-inch circle. Using a 2-inch fluted round cutter, cut circles from the dough as close together as possible. Gather up the scraps and re-roll to make more circles. Place 1/4 teaspoon of the potato filing in the center of each circle. Fold the circle in half to make a half-moon or crescent shape and pinch the edges together to form a tight seal so the filling will not ooze out. If the dough seems dry, brush the edges with a little water before sealing them. Place the tortelli on kitchen-towel-lined cookie sheets in single layers. Continue making tortelli with the remaining dough and filling.
If using a pasta machine, roll each piece of dough with a rolling pin to flatten it slightly, then thin the dough through the rollers of the pasta machine to the thinnest setting. Cut out circles and fill as above. Gather up and re-roll the scraps to make more tortelli.
Fill a pasta pot with an insert with the water. When the water boils, add the salt and tortelli and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the cheese, pour the sauce into a serving bowl or platter, and keep warm (makes enough sauce for 4 dozen tortelli). Use a pasta scoop to drain the tortelli. Transfer them to the warm serving dish and toss gently with the sauce. Serve immediately.
Tip: Keep several wet paper towels handy to wipe your hands as you are filling the tortelli so they will be clean to pinch the edges closed.
Note: To freeze for future use, cover the uncooked tortelli with a sheet of plastic wrap and place in the freezer on the towel-lined cookie sheet until hard. Transfer the tortelli to heavy-duty plastic bags and freeze. Do not defrost the tortelli before cooking them. Bring the water to a rolling boil before cooking them. They will take about 2 minutes longer to cook than freshly made.
This recipe yields about 16 dozen.
Comments: Tortelli (anolini) are filled half-moon shaped pasta from the region of Emilia-Romagna. Some of the best I have ever eaten were sampled in Mamiano, in the Fondazione Magnani Rocca, after visiting a fabulous art collection belonging to the late Luigi Magnani and supported by the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano. There were several kinds of tortelli on the menu, some filled with Swiss chard, others with pumpkin, and these potato-and-ricotta-cheese ones flavored with the famed Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese of the region and just a hint of nutmeg. Tortelli are traditionally served with butter and more cheese. They are time consuming to make, but the filling can be prepared a day ahead, the dough can be made in a food processor, and the tortelli can be frozen for several months. Tortelli are eaten as a first course, usually either eight to ten per serving.

Notes:
Recipe from "Mangia Pasta!" by Mary A. Esposito, (Morrow Cookbooks, 1998)

Rating: ()

Added On: February 29, 2008

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