Ricotta Tortelloni with Butter and Sage

Ingredients

• 300 g Flour
• 3 whole Eggs
• 250 g Ricotta
• 80 g Parmigiano reggiano
• 1 whole Egg yolk
• 1 tbsp Parsley
• 1 pinch Nutmeg
• 80 g Butter
• 10 leaves Sage
• 1 to taste Salt
• 1 to taste Black pepper

Steps

1. Make the sfoglia: mound the flour on a board, crack in the eggs, and work with a fork then your hands until you have a smooth, firm dough.
2. Knead 10 minutes until elastic, wrap in film, and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. Prepare the filling: in a bowl combine the well-drained ricotta, grated Parmigiano Reggiano, one egg yolk, the chopped parsley, a generous grating of nutmeg, salt and pepper.
4. Mix to a smooth, homogeneous cream and chill while you roll the pasta.
5. Roll the rested dough into a thin sheet (about 1 mm), passing it through ever-narrower settings of the pasta machine.
6. Cut the sheet into squares of about 7 cm.
7. Place a walnut-sized mound of filling in the centre of each square.
8. Fold into a triangle, pressing out the air and sealing the edges well, then wrap the long side around your fingertip and pinch the two corners together to form the tortellone.
9. Lay the tortelloni on a floured cloth in a single layer and let them dry for a few minutes while you bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil.
10. In a wide pan, melt the butter over low heat with the sage leaves and let it foam gently for a couple of minutes, so the butter perfumes without browning past a light hazelnut colour.
11. Drop the tortelloni into the gently boiling water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until they float and the pasta edge is tender; lift them out with a spider, adding a spoonful of the cooking water to the butter.
12. Slide the drained tortelloni into the sage butter and toss very gently over low heat for a minute to coat.
13. Serve at once with a generous dusting of grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Tips

• Drain the ricotta in a sieve for at least an hour (overnight is better) so the filling is firm and the parcels do not burst. Don't let the butter brown beyond a light hazelnut colour — a spoon of pasta water emulsifies it into a glossy sauce that clings to the pasta. Tortelloni freeze beautifully on a tray, then cook straight from frozen, adding a minute to the boil.