Tortelli Maremmani al RagùMaremman Tortelli with Meat Ragù

Drain the sheep’s-milk ricotta the day before

• 1 Spread 300 g sheep’s-milk ricotta in a fine sieve set over a bowl.
• 2 Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate overnight for 12 hours to drain.

Make the soffritto and brown the meat

• 1 Finely dice 100 g onion, 80 g carrot and 60 g celery, with strings removed, into 3 mm pieces.
• 2 Peel 1 garlic clove and crush with the flat of a knife.
• 3 Put 50 ml extra virgin olive oil in a heavy pot, add the diced vegetables and crushed garlic and cook over medium-low heat for 15–18 minutes without coloring.
• 4 Add 15 g tomato paste and cook over low heat for 2 minutes, working it with a wooden spoon until dark reddish brown and sweet-smelling.
• 5 Add 250 g coarsely ground beef chuck and 150 g coarsely ground pork shoulder; raise to medium-high heat and brown for 10–12 minutes, breaking into large pieces with a wooden spoon.

Add red wine and tomato to start the braise

• 1 Pour 120 ml dry red wine down the side of the pot and boil over medium-high heat for 4–5 minutes, scraping the browned deposits with a wooden spoon, until the alcohol smell is gone.
• 2 Add 400 g tomato passata and 1 bay leaf, then mix in 5 g salt and 0.5 g freshly ground black pepper.
• 3 Warm 500 ml unsalted meat broth in another pot over low heat and add 200 ml to the ragù.
• 4 Reduce to low heat so it bubbles gently, and set the lid 7/10 of the way ajar.

Simmer the ragù for 2 hours 30 minutes

• 1 Meanwhile(While simmering.) Prepare the sfoglia and filling and shape the tortelli in steps 5–10.
• 2 Simmer over low heat for 2 hours 30 minutes, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon every 20–30 minutes to prevent sticking.
• 3 When the liquid reduces and the meat becomes exposed, add warm broth in 100 ml additions, using the full 500 ml in total.

Knead the egg-only sfoglia

• 1 Sift 300 g type 00 flour into a mound on the worktop and make a large central well.
• 2 Break 3 room-temperature whole eggs into the well and add 3 g salt.
• 3 Beat with a fork, gradually incorporating flour from the inner wall.
• 4 When the flour starts coming together, gather by hand, then push with the heel of the palm and fold back repeatedly for 10–12 minutes.

Rest the dough

• 1 Meanwhile(While it rests.) Prepare the spinach in step 7.
• 2 Meanwhile(While the dough rests.) Put 2 L water in another pot over high heat and begin bringing it to a boil for the spinach.
• 3 Round the dough, wrap tightly without gaps and rest at room temperature, 20–24°C, for 30 minutes.

Boil and dry the spinach

• 1 Remove the stems from 500 g spinach and wash 3 times under running water to remove sand.
• 2 Lower the spinach stem-end first into 2 L boiling water and boil for 2 minutes.
• 3 Drain in a colander, plunge into cold water and, once cooled slightly, squeeze firmly with both hands.
• 4 Wrap in a clean cloth and squeeze again, then chop finely into 1–2 mm widths with a knife.

Make the ricotta and spinach filling

• 1 Put 300 g drained sheep’s-milk ricotta in a bowl and work with a rubber spatula until smooth.
• 2 Add the chopped spinach, 70 g grated aged Pecorino Toscano and 1 egg yolk.
• 3 Grate in 0.5 g whole nutmeg and add 4 g salt and 0.5 g freshly ground black pepper; mix for 1 minute until evenly colored.
• 4 Press plastic wrap onto the surface and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm.

Roll out the sfoglia by hand

• 1 Dust the worktop with 5 g semolina, divide the dough into 4 pieces and rewrap the unused 3.
• 2 Flatten 1 piece into a disc by hand, then wrap it around the rolling pin and roll away from you to stretch it.
• 3 Turn by 90 degrees and repeat wrapping and rolling to make a sheet about 40 cm across and 1 mm thick.
• 4 Check whether the wood grain beneath shows through the sheet, or hold it up to the light.

Shape large square tortelli

• 1 On the near half of the sheet, place 1 heaped tsp filling, about 15 g, per mound, in 2 rows spaced 8 cm apart, about 9 per sheet.
• 2 Lightly moisten around the filling with a fingertip.
• 3 Fold the far half toward you and press with your fingertips from the filling outward to expel air and seal.
• 4 Cut into squares 7–8 cm across with a fluted wheel and press all 4 edges shut with your fingers.
• 5 Arrange without overlapping on a cloth-lined tray dusted with semolina.
• 6 Shape the remaining dough in the same way to make about 36, or 9 per person.

Finish the ragù and prepare the cooking water

• 1 Meanwhile(While waiting for the water to boil.) Warm 4 plates with hot water; empty and dry just before plating.
• 2 Remove the 1 bay leaf from the finished ragù, taste, sharpen the seasoning with 1 g salt and grind in 0.5 g black pepper.
• 3 Transfer 2/3 of the ragù to a large frying pan and keep warm over very low heat.
• 4 Bring 4 L water to a boil in a large pot over high heat, then add 40 g coarse salt.

Boil the tortelli

• 1 Lower the heat under the boiling water until it moves gently, then slide in 8–9 tortelli at a time with a slotted ladle.
• 2 Once they rise, cook for another 3 minutes.
• 3 During the 1st batch, ladle out 120 ml cooking water and add it to the ragù in the frying pan. Do not reserve more from the 2nd or later batches; 120 ml total is enough.
• 4 Lift the tortelli with a slotted ladle, drain and transfer to the frying pan of ragù.
• 5 Cook the rest in the same way and transfer all to the frying pan.

Coat with ragù and plate

• 1 Place the frying pan over low heat and coat the tortelli in 2 batches of half each; putting all 36 large pieces in at once makes them overlap and tear under their own weight.
• 2 Hold the handle and shake the pan back and forth to coat without breaking them, for 1 minute–1 minute 30 seconds per batch. Transfer each coated batch to warm plates.
• 3 Arrange 9 tortelli on each warmed plate without overlapping.
• 4 Reheat the reserved 1/3 of the ragù over low heat and divide evenly over the plates.
• 5 Scatter the 40 g finishing Pecorino Toscano across 4 plates, 10 g each, and grind over 0.5 g black pepper.