Each region in Italy has its own delicious and distinct cuisine. Emilia Romagna, boasts some of the most mouthwatering pasta dishes like lasagne, cappelletti and these renowned homemade tortelli verdi.
3⅛ cup (400g) organic type “00” flour or all-purpose flour
For the sauce:
2 tablespoons (25g) butter
5 sage leaves
Instructions
For the filling:
Heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet then add the garlic and cook for two minutes. Next add the organic frozen spinach and one organic vegetable bouillon, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes then remove the lid and continue cooking until the spinach is dry.
Remove the skillet from the heat and cool. Discard the garlic and add the grated parmigiano reggiano cheese and dried bread crumbs. Stir well. To test if the filling has the right consistency, try to form a small ball. If it holds its shape, it's ready; if it is too soft, simply add more grated parmigiano reggiano cheese and breadcrumbs until you are able to form a ball.
For the dough:
Place the organic type 00 flour on a clean surface, make a well in the center and crack in the eggs. Using a knife or a fork gradually combine the flour and eggs until you have a reached a dough consistency.
Knead the dough for 10 minutes then wrap it in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. In the meantime, clean the counter in order to have space to roll out the dough.
Divide the dough in two pieces, rewrap one of them and place in the refrigerator. Using a rolling pin, roll out the first piece of dough until it is as thin as a piece of paper. Work quickly because if the dough dries out when you make the tortelli the borders will not close well and the filling will leak out
when the tortelli is being cooked.
Using a frilled edge pastry cutter, cut a line at the bottom of the pastry sheet. Form little balls of spinach filling the size of small grapes and position them in a line about ¼ inch from the edge and ½ inch from one another. Fold the pasta sheet over the balls.
Cut the pasta sheet with the frilled edge pastry cutter where the overlapped edge touches the pasta sheet. Starting from the center, use your two pinkies to form a circle around each spinach ball and pat around it to seal, this also will allow the air to come out. Utilizing the frilled edge pastry, cut a line between each ball then with your fingers press down on all of the edges to make sure that the square pasta is completely sealed. Take the second ball of dough out of the refrigerator and repeat the process.
At this point the tortelli verdi are ready to be cooked or conserved in the refrigerator (for a few hours) or in the freezer (for a few months).
When you are ready to cook your tortelli verdi, bring a pot of water to boil, add salt and the tortelli verdi and cook for roughly 4-5 minutes. In the mean time, melt two tablespoons butter with 5 sage leaves in a skillet. Drain the tortelli verdi, add them to the skillet and coat with butter paying attention to not break them while stirring. Serve immediately with grated parmigiano reggiano cheese. Buon appetito!
Recipe by Italicana Kitchen at https://italicanakitchen.com/homemade-tortelli-verdi/