Directions
Tortelli alla parmigiana with spinach and ricotta cheese is one of the most famous and tasty recipes of Emilia’s tradition.
They are a symbol of Italian cuisine, of ancient origin, and usually were served on Christmas Eve, when eating meat was forbidden for religious reasons.
Luckily they are not anymore a Christian prerogative but a delicacy you can eat every day of the year, especially if you can find a top-notch quality ricotta cheese and fresh spinach.
You can “customize” the stuffing as you like and accordingly to seasonal ingredients: today will prepare the original Parmesan recipe with a classic filling of Swiss chard, ricotta, and Parmigiano Reggiano but are also excellent with cabbage, dandelion, or spinach.
Ingredients for tortelli alla parmigiana with spinach and ricotta cheese
For the dough
- 400 grams of 0 wheat flour
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 eggs
- a pinch of salt
For the filling
- 350 grams of fresh ricotta
- 700 grams of Swiss chard or spinach
- 120 grams of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 egg
- 5 grams of nutmeg
- 7 grams of salt
- 5 grams of fresh ground pepper
Seasoning
- 80 grams of butter
- 8 sage leaves
- 60 grams of grated Parmigiano
How to prepare tortelli alla parmigiana with spinach and ricotta cheese
We start from the dough, “sfoglia Emiliana”: put flour on a work surface and form a small mountain with a hole in the center, where we will pour eggs, oil, and salt.
Mix slowly, incorporating the flour a bit at a time. If you want, you can use a fork, then when the dough is not so sticky, your hands. Push, punch, twist and beat with force, do not be afraid to mistreat the dough, even better if you manage to push, putting all your weight on it.
When the dough is soft and elastic, cover with a cloth and let rest for 1 hour.
Wash Swiss chard (or spinach) and remove the costs, boil, drain and squeeze to remove all the water, then chop with a knife.
In a bowl, place ricotta, Parmigiano Reggiano, chopped Swiss chard, one egg, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a good sprinkling of nutmeg, then mix everything until the mixture is well blended and compact.
To make the perfect tortelli: roll out the dough, helping with a bit of flour. It should be a few millimeters thick.
Cut “sfoglia” in long stripes: they should have a width of 10-12 cm.
With a spoon, put some filling every 7 cm of dough, fold the dough over itself, and push all around the filling to squeeze out the air with hands cupped.
Cut all the tortelli and seal carefully with the fingertips or a fork with a cutting wheel.
Cook ravioli in salted boiling water for about ten minutes.
Meanwhile, put butter in a pan and melt it slowly. When it starts browning, drop in some sage leaves, cook for five minutes, then turn off.
Drain and toss in the pan with melted butter when ravioli is ready, and season with plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano.
What wine goes well with tortelli alla parmigiana with spinach and ricotta cheese?
Traditionally, in Parma, tortelli is paired with a sparkling Malvasia, but also the super salty Soave Le Bine De Costiola from Tamellini winery is perfect: a delicate and mineral wine that can lighten the flavor of tortelli with a thousand flowers.
If you want to pair a cocktail, the complex flavor of Negroni is perfect!
