Tortelloni Stuffed With Swiss Chard Prosciutto And Ricotta Food

HOMEMADE YELLOW TORTELLONI DOUGH

Steps:

• Mound flour in center of a large work surface, and make a well in the middle. Crack eggs into the well.
• Using a fork, beat eggs; slowly incorporate flour, beginning with inner rim of well. When flour is incorporated, gather dough together to form a rounded mass. Begin kneading dough with the palms of your hands. Once dough comes together, scrape up any dried bits of dough; discard.
• Lightly flour work surface; knead dough, adding flour as necessary, until no longer sticky, about 6 minutes. Divide dough into nine equal pieces and wrap in plastic wrap; keep at room temperature until ready to use. Roll or shape as desired.

RICOTTA-SWISS CHARD TORTELLONI WITH GORGONZOLA SAUCE

Steps:

• Prepare the tortelloni; In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the ricotta, Swiss chard, Parmigiano, egg, nutmeg, and salt. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use. (The filling can be prepared a day ahead.)
• Cover a large tray with a clean kitchen towel and sprinkle some flour over it. Cut a thin sheet of dough into 3-inch squares. Place the filling into a pastry bag and pipe about 1 tablespoon into the center of each square. Fold the dough in half over the filling to form a triangle. Seal the dough around the filling, pressing the edges firmly together to seal. Bring the two pointed corners together and press to seal. Transfer tortelloni to prepared baking sheet. Lay in a single layer, leaving some space between them. Continue process using all of the filling and pasta. The tortelloni can be used immediately or can be refrigerated, uncovered, for several hours.
• Prepare the sauce; Place the Gorgonzola, cream, and broth in a large skillet over high heat. As soon as the cream begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the Gorgonzola is melted and the sauce has thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt. Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add salt and the tortelloni and cook, stirring a few times with a wooden spoon, until the tortelloni are tender but still firm to the bite, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Carefully drain the tortelloni, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water, and transfer to the skillet. Stir gently over medium heat until the pasta and sauce are well combined. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the cooking water. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve with additional Parmigiano, if desired.

STUFFED SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Choose 12 large chard leaves (each should be about 10 inches long and 5 inches wide) or 24 smaller leaves; set aside. Coarsely chop enough of the remaining leaves to make 4 1/2 cups; reserve remaining leaves for another use. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add a pinch of salt. Blanch whole leaves, 1 at a time, until tender and bright green, about 5 seconds. Lay flat on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain.
• Melt butter with oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, scallions, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add chopped chard, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chard has wilted, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a medium bowl, and add pine nuts; let stand until cool. Stir in rice, cheeses, and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place a blanched leaf facedown on a work surface. Cut out thickest part of stalk, about one-third of the way up leaf; slightly overlap the cut ends. If using smaller leaves, overlap 2 leaves so they are about 10 by 5 inches. Spoon 1/3 cup filling about one-third of the way up leaf. Fold bottom of leaf over mixture. Fold in sides. Roll to enclose filling completely, creating a 3-by-2-inch bundle. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.
• Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Tent with foil. Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes. Spoon warm sauce onto plates; serve 2 or 3 bundles per plate.

TORTELLINI WITH SPINACH-RICOTTA FILLING AND PARMESAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the butter and garlic a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the garlic is lightly browned, about 1 minute, stir in the spinach, season with salt and pepper and continue cooking until wilted. Transfer the cooked spinach to a colander to drain and cool, about 15 minutes. When cooled, gently squeeze the spinach dry, chop it and put in a medium bowl. Fold in the ricotta. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Roll out the pasta: Divide the pasta dough in half, working with one half at a time and keeping the other piece wrapped. Set up a pasta roller attachment on a stand mixer (or secure a hand roller to the side of your work surface). Lightly flour a work surface and roll out your dough until it is thin enough to pass through the pasta roller. Set your roller to the widest setting. Turn on the pasta roller and pass the dough through once. Fold the rolled-out piece of dough over itself, and then pass through the roller again. If the edges begin to fray or the dough gets sticky or damp, lightly dust both sides with flour. Repeat six or seven more times, until the dough is smooth. Adjust the roller to the second widest setting, dust both sides of the dough with flour, and pass it through twice (without folding). Repeat, adjusting to a thinner setting each time and passing through twice, until the dough is thin enough that it is slightly translucent.
• Fill the tortellini: Dust a work surface and rimmed baking sheet with semolina flour. Lay out the sheet of fresh pasta on the prepared surface and trim into 3 pieces. Cut the pasta sheets into 2-to 3-inch rounds (for tortellini) or squares (for cappelletti). Lightly dampen the pasta with a mister or brush and spoon a teaspoon-sized mound of filling in the center of each piece of pasta. Fold it in half to create a triangle (for square pasta) or a half-moon (for round pasta). Press firmly to seal the edges and eliminate any air. Grab the folded corners of the pasta and place a finger at the center of the folded side of the pasta. Pull the edges around your finger and press the ends together to seal, creating a little pasta "ring" around your finger. Remove your finger and transfer the finished stuffed pasta to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces.
• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rapid boil while you prepare the sauce.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then turn off the stove while you cook the pasta
• Drop the tortellini into the boiling water and stir immediately. Leave the tortellini to cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 minutes.
• Use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer the cooked pasta to the melted butter along with 1/2 cup pasta water. Stir to combine and simmer over medium heat for 1 minute, then add the Parmesan. Add some basil and toss to combine. Serve with additional grated Parmesan, if desired.
• Mound the flour in the center of a clean countertop or cutting board. Make a well in the center of the flour 3 to 4 inches wide.
• Crack the eggs into the well and add a pinch of salt. Using a fork, break the yolks and begin to beat the eggs as you would if making scrambled eggs.
• Continue stirring the eggs with a fork in large circles, slowly incorporating the flour. When the eggs form a thick mass and become difficult to stir, about 3 minutes, fold the loose flour from the edges into the pile with a bench scraper and knead until a smooth dough forms. Discard any excess flour.
• Shape the dough into a flat disk, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 20 minutes before rolling. If waiting more than 1 hour, refrigerate or freeze the dough. The dough will keep refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

SWISS CHARD AND RICOTTA CROSTATA

Steps:

• Combine the flour, Parmesan, mascarpone, salt, cayenne and butter in the bowl of a food processor and pulse, pulse, pulse, until it looks very dry and crumbly--what I like to call the Parmesan stage. Add the eggs and pulse until the mixture forms a ball. Remove the dough from the food processor, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Coat a large saute pan generously with olive oil. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and bring the pan to a medium heat. When the garlic has become golden brown and is very aromatic remove it and discard, it has fulfilled its garlic destiny. Add the Swiss chard stems, leeks and 2 to 3 tablespoons of water and season with salt. When the water has evaporated and the stems and leeks are soft, add the leaves. Season the leaves with salt and saute until they are very soft and wilted. Remove from the heat and allow the Swiss chard to cool.
• In a large bowl combine the ricotta, Parmesan, eggs, cayenne and the Swiss chard mixture. Mix to thoroughly combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed (it will). Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let warm up for about 10 to 15 minutes, this will make it really much easier to roll out.
• Dust a large clean work surface with flour and roll the dough into a large circle about 1/4 to 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough to a large sheet try lined with parchment paper. Lay the dough out flat, don't worry about the overhang on the sides. Put the filling in a large circle in the center of the rolled out dough leaving a 3 to 4-inch border of dough along the outside edge. Fold the dough up around the filling to make a "free-form pie". Brush the top of the dough with egg wash and bake in the preheated oven until the crust is firm, golden brown and shiny, about 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing, this will allow it to up for easier slicing.
• Serve hot or at room temperature.
• What a delightful lunch!!!

RICOTTA TORTELLINI

Steps:

• For filling:
• Mash all ingredients in a medium bowl until well blended and smooth. Cover and chill while preparing dough.
• For dough:
• Place first 3 ingredients in bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook. Mix at low speed until dough pulls away from side of bowl, about 4 minutes. Place on work surface; knead until smooth, adding water by teaspoonfuls if dry, 2-3 minutes (dough is fairly stiff). Divide in 4, flatten, wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.
• Working with 1 dough round at a time, run dough through widest setting of a pasta machine. Fold in half; run through machine. Repeat 7 times. Roll through machine without folding, decreasing width setting after each roll, until 1/16" thick. Transfer to a floured surface.
• Using a 3" cookie cutter, cut dough into circles. Spoon 1 rounded teaspoonful of filling into center of each dough. Brush edges lightly with egg white; fold over and press to seal, forming a half-moon shape. Fold and press tips together, moistening with egg white to seal. Transfer to a lightly floured rimmed baking sheet. DO AHEAD: Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt; add tortelloni. Simmer, stirring gently, until cooked through, 2-3 minutes after they begin to float. Using a slotted spoon, divide tortelloni among bowls. Drizzle melted butter over and serve with cheese.

TOMATO SAUCE WITH HEAVY CREAM

Steps:

• Place tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor and pulse twice to break up tomatoes; set aside.
• Cook butter and onion in a medium skillet over medium heat until browned. Add carrot and celery; cook for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, and reduce heat until mixture just barely simmers. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Season with salt.
• Add heavy cream and return saucepan to medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until sauce is heated through, about 1 minute. Use immediately.

PROSCIUTTO TORTELLINI

Steps:

• Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, combine flour and cream until smooth; stir in the cheeses. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat., Drain tortellini; add to the cheese sauce. Stir in the prosciutto, peas and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or until heated through.

TORTELLONI STUFFED WITH SWISS CHARD, PROSCIUTTO, AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Remove Swiss chard leaves from stalks; discard stalks. Place Swiss chard leaves in a large bowl and fill with enough water to cover; let stand for a minute. Remove leaves from bowl and drain water; repeat process until Swiss chard is clean and no soil remains at the bottom of bowl.
• Transfer wet leaves to a large saucepan set over medium heat. Season with salt and cook, covered, until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly. Gently squeeze out excess moisture from Swiss chard and very finely chop; set aside.
• Place onion and butter in a small skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring, until onion is browned. Add prosciutto and cook for 1 minute. Add Swiss chard and cook, stirring, until all the butter has been absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Transfer Swiss chard mixture to a large bowl and add ricotta, egg yolk, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and nutmeg; season with salt and mix with a fork until well combined; set aside.
• Set the rollers of a hand-crank or electric pasta machine at their widest opening. Unwrap one piece of dough; flatten with the palms of your hands and run it once through the machine. Fold the dough in thirds like a letter and run through the machine again. Repeat this step two or three times, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Now change the rollers of the pasta machine to the next decreasing setting, and roll out the dough once without folding. Keep rolling the sheet through the machine on decreasing settings until you have rolled it through the last (thinnest) setting.
• Lay a dry, clean towel flat on work surface and set aside. Lay pasta flat on work surface. Place about 1 teaspoon stuffing, 2 inches apart, down the center of the pasta. Fold one long side over the stuffing to cover and join edges. Using a fluted pastry wheel, trim edges and end of pasta. Using the same wheel, cut between every mound of stuffing to seal and separate into squares. Transfer squares to towel, making sure they do not touch. Repeat entire process with remaining dough and filling.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add tortelloni, and cook until tender, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, gently transfer tortelloni to a colander to drain. Transfer tortelloni to a large platter. Top with sauce and sprinkled Parmigiano-Reggiano; serve immediately.