Tortelli With Cabbage Or Chard Filling Recipes

CHARD AND RICOTTA FILLING FOR TORTELLI

Steps:

• Cut off the stems at the base of each chard leaf. If the central rib of the leaf is thick and tough, cut it out. (Save the trimmings for stock.) Pile up the trimmed leaves, and slice them crosswise into narrow ribbons, about 1/2 inch wide. You will have almost 6 quarts of loose chard shreds.
• Bring 5 or 6 quarts of water to boil in a big pot. When boiling, heap all the the chard into the pot, and stir, gradually submerging the strips. Return the water to the boil, and adjust the heat to keep it gently bubbling. Simmer the chard until tender, about 10 minutes. Pour the strips into a colander to drain and cool off , then squeeze them by handfuls, pressing out as much liquid as possible. Loosen the clumps, and pile the chard in a large bowl.
• When the chard is completely cool, beat the egg with a pinch of salt, pour it over, and toss with the chard shreds. Scatter the drained ricotta, the grated cheese, and grated nutmeg on top, and toss and stir until the filling is thoroughly blended. Follow the instructions in the master recipe to make tortelli (page 150), substituting the cooled chard filling for the cabbage filling.

CHEESY BAKED TORTELLINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish.
• Whisk the sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl to blend. Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat. Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top the mixture with the smoked mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on top melt, about 30 minutes.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE TORTELLINI BAKE

Steps:

• Heat a large pot over medium heat. Crumble sausage into the saucepan; add onion and green bell pepper. Cook and stir the sausage mixture until the sausage is completely browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain grease.
• Pour marinara sauce and diced tomatoes over the sausage mixture; season with garlic powder and stir. Bring the mixture to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook at a simmer until the diced tomatoes break down into the sauce, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the frozen tortellini at a boil until they float to the top and the filling is hot, 6 to 7 minutes; drain.
• Gently fold the cooked tortellini into the simmering sauce; cook together another 5 minutes. Pour tortellini and sauce into a 13x9-inch baking dish; top with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven until cheese is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes.

TORTELLINI WITH CABBAGE, ONIONS & MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, cook the garlic in a skillet with olive oil and rosemary and saute for 2 minutes over medium heat.
• Add cabbage, mushrooms and onions and saute for 5 minutes.
• Add wine.
• Continue cooking until the wine has evaporated; add chicken broth and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Drain pasta and toss with butter and sauce.
• Add the cheeses, parsley, and salt and pepper, to taste, and toss again.

CLASSIC MEAT TORTELLINI WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the filling: Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a large cast-iron pan set over medium-high heat. Crumble in ground beef and pork and reduce heat to medium. Using the edge of a metal spoon, break up clumps of meat as they form, stirring regularly. Once the meat is evenly broken up, continue to cook, stirring only occasionally, until all of the water has evaporated and the cooking sounds change from steaming to sizzling, about 7 to 8 minutes.
• As the meat begins to brown, clear a spot in the center of the pan and add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the garlic. Cook the garlic until it starts to release an aroma, about 20 seconds, then stir it into the meat and cook another 30 seconds or so. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine meat mixture, mortadella, Parmesan, parsley, nutmeg, cloves, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Pulse to combine, then taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Add eggs and pulse, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is smooth and tacky. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to assemble ravioli.
• Make the tomato sauce: Pour tomatoes and their juices into a medium bowl and use your hands to crush them. Pour 1/4 cup water into the can and swirl, then add to tomatoes. Set aside.
• Set a small Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons olive oil. When it shimmers, add onion and a generous pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes.
• Move onions to the edges of the pot and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add garlic and allow it to gently sizzle, about 20 seconds. Before the garlic has a chance to start browning, stir it into the onions and add tomatoes. Season with salt and oregano or basil and bring to a hard simmer. Stir, then reduce heat to low and cover pot (to prevent splattering). Cook, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes or until raw tomato taste is gone. (Tomato sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated.)
• Shape the tortellini: Place a sheet of pasta on your workspace and dust off any excess flour. One sheet at a time, cut the pasta into 2 1/2-inch squares, or use a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut rounds from the pasta sheets. As you cut or punch, stack and store the pieces under a lightly dampened dish towel or in a plastic bag to keep them from drying out.
• On a clean work counter, lay out about 15 pasta rounds or squares at a time, and spoon rounded teaspoonfuls of filling onto the pasta, just off center. Use a spray bottle or wet pastry brush to lightly dampen the edges of the pasta.
• One at a time, pick up a piece of pasta and fold in half over the filling, squeezing out air bubbles as you press the dough around the filling with dry fingers to seal the tortellino. If you're working with circles, you'll be left with a half-moon shape. If using squares, fold corner-to-corner to form a triangle.
• Holding a tortellino in one hand, use your other index finger to gently poke an indent into the center of its base (the bottom of the filling). Folding the tortellino around the indent, draw both of its bottom corners together as if forming a fortune cookie. Overlap the corners and press to seal them together.
• Toss lightly with semolina flour, then lay out in a single layer on the second prepared baking sheet. Continue with remaining pasta and filling.
• Finish the tomato sauce and cook the pasta: Set a large pot filled with 5 quarts of water over high heat, cover, and bring to a boil. Add 6 tablespoons fine sea salt or 1/2 cup kosher salt. Drop 48 tortellini into the water and stir.
• Remove the sauce from heat and stir in 1/4 cup olive oil. Pass sauce through a food mill or use a stick blender to puree. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Set a large frying pan with curved edges on the stove over low heat. Add 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce and bring to a simmer.
• When the tortellini are cooked, about 3 to 4 minutes, use a spider or skimmer to lift them out, shake off excess water, and place directly into the pan of sauce. Toss and swirl tortellini in sauce until they are all evenly covered. If the sauce is too thick, add pasta water 1 teaspoon at a time to loosen. The sauce should cling to the pasta without appearing to seize. Serve immediately with grated Parmesan.

CREAMY TORTELLINI SALAD WITH CHICKEN, BACON, AND RANCH DRESSING

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in tortellini and return to a boil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tortellini float to the top and the filling is hot, about 3 minutes. Run tortellini under cold water and drain. Store in the refrigerator until chilled, at least 30 minutes.
• Stir ranch dressing and milk together in a large bowl. Add chilled pasta, cooked chicken, mozzarella, bacon, green onions, and parsley.
• Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

TORTELLI WITH CABBAGE OR CHARD FILLING

Steps:

• To make the cabbage filling: Trim away tough or blemished leaves from the head of cabbage, cut out the entire core, and slice the head in quarters. With a sharp, long-bladed knife, thinly slice the cabbage wedges. You should have about 3 quarts of very fine shreds.
• Put the olive oil and the butter in the skillet, and set over medium heat. When the butter melts, scatter in the chopped pancetta; let it cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, as it sizzles and renders most of its fat.
• Heap the shredded cabbage in the skillet, season with the salt, and tumble it over to mix with the fat and pancetta. Pour in the hot water, cover the pan, and heat it quickly to a boil. Adjust the heat to maintain a steady bubbling simmer, and cook, covered, for about 1/2 hour, stirring and turning the cabbage now and then, until the shreds are very soft and the pan is nearly dry. Uncover, and cook away the remaining liquid (but don't let the cabbage brown), then empty the pan into a bowl to cool.
• When the cabbage is at room temperature, beat the egg with a pinch of salt, pour egg over the cabbage, and toss in with the shreds. Sprinkle the filling with the cup of grated cheese and the nutmeg, and toss until thoroughly blended.
• For the tortelli: Cut the pasta dough in six equal pieces, and roll out as described on pages 144-145. Make tortelli from one strip at a time. Lay a strip out horizontally in front of you on a lightly floured board. With the pastry wheel, trim the left, right, top, and bottom edges of the strip to form an even rectangle. Starting about 1 inch in from the left (short) edge of the strip and 1 inch above the bottom (long) edge, place a scant tablespoon of filling on the dough. Continue to make more mounds at 2-to-2 1/2-inch intervals. You should be able to fit eight to ten mounds on the strip, depending on length.
• With the pastry brush (or your fingertip) dipped in water, lightly moisten the top and bottom edges of the pasta strip; also wet the dough in a vertical line halfway between the mounds of filling. Fold the top edge down to align with the bottom edge, covering the mounds. Press lightly to seal the edges together, and press between the filling mounds, too. Finally, cut vertically (down) the lines between the mounds, separating the strip into individual tortelli. Arrange them in a single layer on a lined and floured tray. Continue to make more tortelli out of the other strips in the same way. Tortelli that you will cook soon can be left on the tray, lightly covered. Freeze tortelli for future use right on the trays until solid, then transfer them to freezer bags, packed airtight and sealed.
• To cook and serve tortelli for four, you will need thirty to forty pieces-eight or more per serving.
• Fill a large pasta pot with well-salted water, and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet or sauté pan (at least 12 inches in diameter), and keep it warm.
• Drop all the tortelli into the rapidly boiling water at once, stir, and return to the boil over high heat. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until the thickest part of the pasta is cooked through and perfectly al dente. Lift tortelli from the cooking pot with a spider, drain briefly, and lay them in the pan of melted butter.
• Tumble the tortelli over and over, gently, until all are coated; add a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water to extend the sauce if necessary. Sprinkle a cup or so of grated cheese over the tortelli, and spoon them into warm bowls. Drizzle a bit of the butter left in the pan over each portion, and serve immediately, with more cheese at the table.
• Cooking tortelli for six or more: If you want to serve all your homemade tortelli-enough for six portions (or eight small ones), you will need to cook them in two batches instead of all at once. For dressing this many pieces, I also suggest using a 14-inch skillet or sauté pan, increasing the melted butter to 12 ounces (1 1/2 sticks). Cook half the tortelli for 3 minutes or so, drain, drop them into the skillet, and keep them bathed in the warm butter while you cook up the second batch. Add these to the pan, turn to coat them all with butter, sprinkle with cheese, and serve.