home page

  To the complete recipe with introduction and illustrations

Tortelli in brodo.
(printout version recipe July/August 2004 (1 pagina A4))

Pasta dough is not difficult to make. Look here for the recipe. 

Stuffing:
300 gram (2/3 pound) green of beets and 300 gram (2/3 pound) wild spinach, or 600 gram (1 1/3 pound) wild spinach
60 gram (1 cup) chopped green herbs. Parsley the most, furhtermore basil, mint, chives
100 gram (1/2 cup) ricotta cheese
100 gram (1 cup) Parmezan cheese, freshly grated
1 Tbsp. raisins, steeped in warm water, then drained
1 egg
spices: pepper, cinnamon, cloves (1:1:1/4)
1/4 tsp. saffron, bruised in 1/2 Tbsp. hot milk
butter

Broth:
To boil the pasta: Take a pasta cooker or other, large, pan with plenty of water. Add some stock cubes (meat, chicken, or vegetable).
The broth used to serve the pasta with should preferably be home made, tasty broth. 

Preparation in advance:
Prepare the stuffing. Rinse the vegetables well. Chop them small and braise them in butter until they have lost their excess water. Add the herbs shortle before removing the pan from the fire. Drain the vegetables well, squeeze them gently to get them as dry as possible.
Add the other ingredients for the stuffing to the greens (saffron with milk and all).
Prepare the pasta dough whilst the greens are cooling. See basic recipe. Do not forget to add milk to the dough, because you are making stuffed pasta. The milk will ensure a good sealing of the dough. Also: mind that you have to make the ravioli or tortelli at once after rolling out a sheet, also to ensure that the stuffed pasta is sealed. If you let the sheets dry (as you have to do when you are making tagliatelle and the likes), the pasta will not seal properly.

Preparation:
Make ravioli. Sprinkle the worktop with flour, spread the freshly rolled sheet of pastra dough on it. Heap little spoonfulls stuffing on one half of the sheet. Moisten the edges and the spaces between the heaps with a finger dipped in water. Fold the sheet double, and press gently between the stuffing.
Cut the ravioli with a pasta cutter or a knife, and lay the stuffed pasta on a clean, dry kitchen towel. Take care that the ravioli do not touch each other.
Or make tortelli. Use a glass to cut small circles out of the pasta sheet. Put a spoonful of stuffing on each round, and fold it in two. Then press the pointed edges of the half circle together. Lay the tortelli on a clean, dry kitchen towel. Take care that the ravioli do not touch each other.
Heat the broth in which the pasta will be served.
Cook the pasta. Bring an ample amount of water to the boil in a pasta cooker, add stock cubes (meat, chicken or vegetable). When the water is boiling, add the ravioli or tortelli. It will be a matter of seconds before they are done.
Take the perforated insert (?is this the correct term?) out of the pan, divide the pasta over preheated soup plates or bowls.
Add some serving broth to the plates or bowls. 

To serve:
Serve the pasta at once. Place a bowl with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on the table, as well as a small bowl with sugar mixed with ground cinnamon.

This page was last updated on 23-07-09 (d-m-y).