Ricotta and Marjoram Tortelli

• portions: 4 persons
• temps total: 40 minutes

Ingrédients

250 gr fresh ricotta

a touch of powdered cinnamon

1 sprig of marjoram (or a sprinkle of dried)

400 gr of peeled plum tomatoes

5 basil leaves

1 onion, chopped

4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

40 gr of grated pecorino cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

For the green pasta

50 gr of cooked spinach (drained and lithly squeezed)

2 whole eggs (about 110 gr)

300 gr of 00 or plain flour

Instructions

Start with the pasta, squeeze the cooked spinach to remove the water and either chop it very finely and mix them with the eggs or blitz them together with the eggs to obtain a green mixture. Now knead by hand or with a standing mixer the flour with the egg mixture, until you have a smooth and elastic dough. Have some extra flour at hand, dough making could need adjustments, if after kneading for a few minutes the dough still feels too sticky add a touch of flour, if it feels to dry and not binding well together, simply add a splash of water or egg and keep kneading until it does.

Wrap the dough in film and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Mix the fresh ricotta with a little salt, black pepper and cinnamon. Put in piping bag.

With the help of a pasta machine, roll the pasta into thin layers of about 1,5 mm. Fold the parcels as you like, ravioli or “tortelli” it doesn't change much and I invite you to watch my videos on Instagram for the tutorials.

Sweat the onion in olive oil with a pinch of salt. When translucent and golden, add the basil and cook for a few more minutes. Now add the tomatoes, season to taste and cook for about 25 minutes. Mix while is simmer to break the tomatoes into pieces. Remove the basil leaves.

Cook the pasta into salted boiling water for about 1 minutes and 30 seconds. When ready drain and place in a tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Spread 2 spoonful of heated chunky tomato sauce on the bottom of the plate, top with ravioli, and finish with grated pecorino cheese. Garnish with a few fresh leaves of marjoram.

Notes

By Danilo Cortellini