Tortelli d'Erbetta alla ParmigianaParma Chard and Ricotta Tortelli

Drain the ricotta overnight, starting 2 nights ahead

• 1 Spread 400 g ricotta in a fine sieve over a bowl, cover with cling film and drain in the refrigerator overnight for 8–12 hours.
• 2 Discard all the collected whey and gently blot surface moisture from the ricotta with kitchen paper.

Steam and dry the chard the day before

• 1 Remove all white stalks from 800 g chard and wash the leaves 3 times in plenty of water. Leave only the water clinging to them rather than draining completely.
• 2 Pack all the washed leaves into a heavy pot at least 28 cm across, cover and steam-braise over medium heat for 6–8 minutes, turning from top to bottom every 2 minutes.
• 3 Spread in a colander and cool for 10 minutes until safe to handle.
• 4 Wrap in a clean cloth and squeeze hard with both hands. Rewrap and squeeze 3 more times, using your body weight, until no water drips.
• 5 Chop the squeezed leaves very finely to 1–2 mm, wrap them in the cloth again and squeeze firmly.
• 6 Spread thinly on a tray and leave until fully at room temperature.

Mix the pale filling the day before

• 1 Put the drained 400 g ricotta in a bowl and press with a spatula for 30 seconds until smooth.
• 2 Add the cooled chard, 150 g grated Parmigiano, 1 beaten egg, 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg and 5 g fine salt.
• 3 Fold from the bottom with a spatula for 2 minutes, producing a pale green filling with the leaves evenly distributed.

Rest the filling overnight

• 1 Press cling film onto the filling’s surface and refrigerate overnight for 8–12 hours.
• 2 The next day, gently blot any water on the surface with kitchen paper.

Knead the egg pasta

• 1 Sift 300 g type 00 flour into a mound on the worktop and press a well about 12 cm across into its centre with your fist.
• 2 Crack 3 room-temperature eggs into the well, beat the eggs alone with a fork, then gradually draw in flour from the inner walls until porridge-like.
• 3 When the fork becomes hard to move, gather all remaining flour with a scraper and knead for 15 minutes, repeatedly pushing with the heel of your hand and folding.
• 4 Shape into a ball and wrap tightly in a double layer of cling film.

Rest the dough to relax the gluten

• 1 MeanwhileDuring the rest, line flat trays with 2 large cloths and dust with 30 g semolina to hold the shaped tortelli.
• 2 MeanwhileDuring the rest, clean the worktop and prepare a long mattarello rolling pin, a pastry wheel and a fork.
• 3 Rest the wrapped dough at room temperature, 20–24°C, for 60 minutes.

Hand-roll the sfoglia very thinly

• 1 Divide the rested dough into 3 portions of about 155 g each; rewrap all but the 1 being used.
• 2 Dust the surface very lightly with semolina and flatten 1 portion with your palm into a circle 15 cm across.
• 3 Wrap the near edge around the rolling pin and press while sliding your hands from the centre outward. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat until the circle measures 45–48 cm.
• 4 Roll to 0.6–0.8 mm thick, with the outline of a hand beneath clearly visible, then proceed before the sheet dries.

Shape 60 tortelli

• 1 MeanwhileWhile shaping, begin boiling 6 L water in a large pot over high heat.
• 2 Use a pastry wheel to cut 4 strips, each 10 cm wide, from the sheet. Reserve narrow curved-edge trimmings on another plate rather than using them for filled pasta.
• 3 Along the centre line of the near half of 1 strip, the 5 cm side, place heaped teaspoons of cold filling, about 12 g per 1 spoonful, at 5 cm intervals.
• 4 Fold the far half toward you over the filling. Press out air from beside each mound toward the edges with your fingertips and seal firmly.
• 5 Cut between fillings at 5 cm intervals to make 5 × 5 cm squares: about 4–8 from 1 strip and around 20 from 1 sheet.
• 6 Lay a fork’s tines flat and press a 7–8 mm band along the 3 open edges, making continuous marks and sealing completely.
• 7 Arrange the shaped tortelli without overlapping on the semolina-dusted cloth.
• 8 Roll the remaining 2 portions as in step 7 and cut and fill in the same way, making 60 total, with 12 g filling × 60, about 720 g.

Salt the water, warm the dishes and dry the pasta surface

• 1 MeanwhileWhile the water heats, finely grate the 80 g finishing Parmigiano and divide into 2 portions of 20 g for layering and 40 g for the table.
• 2 MeanwhileWhile the water heats, cut 120 g butter into 1 cm cubes and place in a small pan.
• 3 Dissolve 60 g coarse salt, 10 g/L, in the boiling water.
• 4 Boil a kettle and fill a deep serving bowl at least 28 cm across and 6 plates with hot water to warm them.
• 5 Leave the cloth of tortelli in an airy place for 15 minutes to dry the surface lightly.

Cook the first 30 and layer with butter and cheese

• 1 MeanwhileWhile the tortelli cook, melt the 120 g butter over very low heat for 3–4 minutes; turn off the heat when fine bubbles appear and keep warm.
• 2 Empty and dry the warm serving bowl and pour 1/4 of the melted butter, about 30 g, over the base.
• 3 Reduce the water to a gentle simmer over medium heat and slide in 30 tortelli carefully, 1 at a time from a slotted ladle.
• 4 Cook for 3–4 minutes, at least 1.5 minutes after they float, gently moving them with the back of the slotted ladle 2 times to prevent sticking.
• 5 Lift out, drain well and spread in the serving bowl in a single non-overlapping layer.
• 6 Drizzle over 1/4 of the melted butter, about 30 g, and sprinkle evenly with 20 g Parmigiano.
• 7 Cover with a plate and keep warm while cooking the 2nd batch.

Cook the second batch and serve on warm plates

• 1 Return the water to a gentle simmer over medium heat, slide in the remaining 30 tortelli 1 at a time and cook for 3–4 minutes.
• 2 Lift out, drain and spread over the 1st layer in the serving bowl.
• 3 Pour over the remaining melted butter, about 60 g, and scatter evenly with 20 g Parmigiano.
• 4 Hold the bowl with both hands and tilt gently just 2–3 times to carry butter from the base to the surface.
• 5 Empty and dry the 6 warm plates. Use a flat spoon and fork to serve 10 per 1 person without overlapping and spoon over the butter left in the bowl.