Tortelli con la Coda (Tortelli with Tails)
- 10 to 12 ounces Swiss chard
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups creamy fresh whole-milk ricotta
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 recipe wine pasta, made with sangiovese, recipe follows
- 10 tablespoons sweet butter
- 11/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- To make the filling: Trim the Swiss chard's stalks and reserve for another use.
- Wash the leaves well, and without shaking off the water, tuck the leaves into a 4-quart saucepan.
- Add 1/3 cup water, cover and cook over medium heat until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Drain and allow to cool.
- Squeeze the leaves as dry as possible, finely chop and transfer to a medium-sized bowl.
- Whip the ricotta and stir it into the chard.
- Blend in the 3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper and nutmeg.
- Taste for balance.
- Beat in the egg.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Filling the pasta: Stretch and thin the pasta to the thinnest setting on a pasta rolling machine.
- Cut the pasta into long strips about 4 1/2 inches wide.
- Cut each strip in half lengthwise.
- Keep the strips of pasta covered with plastic wrap until you are ready to work with them.
- Create diamond shapes by cutting each of the strips on the diagonal, spacing the cuts every 2 1/4 inches, so that each diamond's sides measure about 2 1/4 inches.
- Keep the cut pieces covered while you work with 1 or 2.
- Put a narrow row (about 1 teaspoon) of filling in the center of each diamond.
- Place the pasta with the long strip of filling perpendicular to you.
- Fold the 2 points of the diamond on the left and right of the row of filling over each other, covering the filling.
- Pinch together the 2 overlapping pieces of pasta, using your thumb and forefinger to make a row of pinched closures down the length of the pasta.
- As you pinch together the pasta, twist it slightly to create an undulating ridge.
- This pleating will create a rippling, scalloped appearance.
- Twist and seal the ends, creating tails.
- Place them in a single layer, without touching, on the towel-lined baskets.
- Uncover more of the cut pasta and repeat the process.
- Once the first batch is done, stretch and thin the next portion of the dough, and continue.
- Cooking and serving the tortelli: Having a serving bowl and soup dishes warming in a low oven.
- Have a large colander ready for draining the tortelli.
- Bring 6 quarts water to a strong boil and add 2 tablespoons salt.
- Drop in the pastas and cook until their tails are pleasingly firm to the bite yet tender enough to eat.
- If freshly made, they will take about 3 to 4 minutes.
- If they have been done up to 24 hours ahead, they may need 8 to 10 minutes.
- While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a small saucepan.
- Gently pour the cooked tortelli into the colander, taking care not to break them.
- Carefully pour about 1/3 of the pastas into the heated serving bowl.
- Spoon a third of the butter over them, and then a generous sprinkling of the cheese.
- Top another with the third, and more butter and cheese.
- Finally pour in the last portion, top it with the remaining butter and cheese, and serve immediately.
- Pass any leftover cheese separately.
swiss chard, water, wholemilk ricotta, freshly grated parmigianoreggiano cheese, salt, nutmeg, egg, recipe wine pasta, sweet butter
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/tortelli-con-la-coda-tortelli-with-tails-recipe.html (may not work)