The fellas went to the movies on Saturday, which I took as a perfect opportunity to make tortellini. I have to say, it was a labor intensive process, but at the end of the afternoon, I had a nice sized container of ricotta stuffed pillows for my Valentine’s Day dinner!
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup semolina
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups ricotta
- fresh basil
- Combine flour, semolina, and eggs – I mixed the dough in my Cuisinart, but you can do it in a stand mixer, or by hand.
- Knead the dough with the palms of your hands for several minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for an hour.
- Chop basil, and stir it into the ricotta, set aside.
- Cut the dough into 6 pieces and flatten into a rectangle. With the pasta machine set to the widest setting, pass the dough through, fold in half, and pass it through again.
- Turn the machine’s knob to the next narrowest setting, fold dough in half and pass through. Repeat until you’ve reached your desired thickness.
- Using a 3″ cookie cutter, cut out circles. Place 1 teaspoon ricotta in the center of the circle. Dip your finger in a bowl of water and run it along the edge of the round to moisten. Fold the dough over, then draw the two corners together and press tightly to seal. Place them on a parchment lined, well floured baking sheet, and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.
- To cook the tortellini – bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a tablespoon of salt. Add the tortellini into the water a few at a time. Stir occasionally to keep the tortellini from sticking to the pot. Cook until the tortellini have bobbed to the surface of the water, approximately 5 minutes. Try one to check for doneness.
- If not cooking the tortellini immediately, freeze them on the baking sheet then transfer to a freezer-safe container once solid. Cook directly from the freezer, increasing the cooking time by a minute or two.
