Vegetable And Ricotta Tortino Recipes

VEGETABLE-AND-RICOTTA TORTINO

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the peas and asparagus. Cook until the vegetables are just tender. Drain and immediately plunge the vegetables into a large bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
• In a large kettle, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions, celery and watercress. Begin adding the Swiss chard, stirring until the leaves fit into the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are very tender. Season with salt and pepper and drain if necessary. Set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the eggs, remaining tablespoon of olive oil, cream, 1/4 cup of the Parmigiano, ricotta, Aleppo pepper and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir until smooth. Add the peas, asparagus and cooled vegetables and stir to combine.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the tortino mixture into a large, lightly greased casserole dish, sprinkle with the black pepper and cover with foil. (Make sure it does not touch the vegetables.) Place the dish in a large roasting pan and pour in boiling water to rise halfway up the sides.
• Bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the center of the tortino is set, an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the casserole from the roasting pan and sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano on the top. Place the casserole under a broiler until the cheese is nicely browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, cut into squares and garnish with mint and serve.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA TORTELLINI

Steps:

• Place spinach, water, and a pinch of salt in a pot over medium-high heat; cover pot and cook until spinach is completely wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and squeeze out all the water; let spinach cool to room temperature in a colander.
• Soften ricotta cheese in a large bowl using a fork until creamy.
• Squeeze out any excess water from the cooled spinach. Finely chop spinach with a knife or process in a blender. Transfer to the bowl with ricotta. Add Parmesan cheese, egg, nutmeg, salt, and pepper; mix well.
• Divide pasta dough into 6 equal pieces. Take 1 piece and cover the rest with plastic wrap. Flatten the piece between your palms and press through the widest setting of your pasta machine. Sprinkle flour over flattened pasta dough, fold in half lengthwise, and run through the pasta machine again. Repeat this process 3 or 4 times, always flouring, folding, and passing through the widest setting until dough is smooth and even in size.
• Change pasta machine to the middle setting and pass dough through. Move pasta machine setting to the next to the last setting and pass dough through. Cut the sheet in half, widthwise. Pass each half through the pasta machine in the thinnest and last setting, creating 2 long and very thin sheets; gently transfer to a floured work surface, trimming edges. Cut into 2 even rectangles.
• Cut dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Drop a teaspoon of ricotta filling in the middle of each square. Brush the edges with water and fold over diagonally into a triangle shape. Press well to squeeze out any air. Stretch the 2 ends of the triangle and a fold them together, wrapping them around your finger; seal. Gently fold back the top corner.
• Transfer the tortellini to a floured plate or work surface. Proceed the same way with remaining dough and filling. Let tortellini stand for 30 minutes.
• Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil; cook tortellini, working in batches, until they float, 6 to 7 minutes.