Tordelli

(Cesare Casella)

Ravioli with meat and Parmigiano Reggiano stuffing served in capon broth. The perfect way to tease the appetite of your holiday guests.

Cook Time:

Prep Time:

Total Time:1 hours

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound meat (beef, pork, rabbit, chicken, and/or turkey), cut into 3-x-3-inch cubes

Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (sage, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, and Italian parsley)

1/3 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 pound Swiss char, well washed and stemmed

1/2 cup cup day-old course bread crumbs

1/2 cup chopped cured meats (such as mortadella, salami or porscuitto)

5 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 Egg, beaten

Homemade beef broth, as needed

4 1/2 cup cups unbleached with flour

4 Large eggs plus 4 large egg yolks

2 tablespoon tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2-3/4 cup Water

2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the meat with salt, pepper, fresh herbs, spices, and ¼ cup of the olive oil. Place the mixture in a roasting pan and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat is well done.

While the meat is cooking, place the Swiss chard with the water still clinging to its leaves into a medium pot, cover, and heat it over medium-high, stirring occasionally. When the chard has wilted, after about 7 minutes, drain it, and squeeze out as much water as possible. Chop the chard roughly.

In a medium frying pan. heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and add the chopped Swiss chard. Cook it for 2 minutes, then set aside to cool.

When the meat is done, place it in the bowl of a food processor along with its roasting juices, the Swiss chard, bread crumbs, cured meat, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and an egg. Pulse until everything is well blended. If the mixture is dry. add some beef broth, a tablespoon or so at a time. Adjust the seasoning and set the mixture aside, allowing it to cool before using.

Making pasta by hand takes patience an time. After 2 or 3 tries, you’ll get it right, and be happy you did.

Mound the flour on a clean work surface and form a well in the center. Add the eggs and the egg wolds to the well and scramble them with your fingers or with a fork. Add in the olive oil, ½ cup of the water, and the salt. Use one hand to mix the eggs and the other to hold up the wall of the flour well from the outside. Gradually begin incorporating the flour from the inside wall of the well into the eggs.

When the eggs are no longer runny, push in the walls of the flour and work the mixture into a mound of soft crumbs. Bather the mass together and begin working it into a ball. (If it seems too dry here, add up to ¼ cup more water, a tablespoon at a time.) Once the dough has formed, knead it vigorously for 10 minutes, until it is elastic and smooth. Shape the dough into a flat oval. Cover it with a kitchen towel, and let it rest for an hour.

You must work quickly so the dough does not dry out. Pinch off pieced of the meat filling and roll them to form small, marble-sized balls, about ½ inch in diameter. Center the balls, approximately 2 inches apart. in the middle of the strip of dough. Fold the past over the balls, pressing down on the pasta between each ball with your fingers to seal the dough. Cut out the tordelli by using a pastry wheel with a wavy edge to make half-moon shapes. Repeat the process with the rest of the filling and dough. Dry the tordelli on a flat screen until ready to use. If you are not going to use the tordelli within 24 hours, cover them lightly and refrigerate them. They will also keep frozen for 2 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator before using.

When ready to use, cook the tordelli for approximately 8 minutes (depending on the thickness of the pasta) in a pot of abundant boiling, salted water. Add a tablespoon of two of olive oil to the water to keep the tordelli from sticking to each other.