One thing I learnt this year is that I love making stuffed pasta: tortellini, cappelletti, ravioli... it's really so much fun! I love it!
This weekend I made spinach cappelletti stuffed with fresh ricotta seasoned with pepper and nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Nothing else. The pasta dough is made of spinach and eggs, which we all know go amazingly well with ricotta 😊
Recipe
How much time do you need?
Preparation time: 2 hr
Cooking time 15 min hr
Total time: 2 hrs 15min
Material:
Bowls
Kitchen scale
Pasta rolling pin (or a pasta maker)
Pasta cutter (or a knife)
Kitchen towel, cutlery, knife
Spatula
Large saucepan
Cutting board
Ingredients (makes 2-3 serves)
Pasta dough:
200 grs plain flour (type 00)
1 egg
1 yolk
3 tablespoons of spinach puree
1 tbs Olive oil
Filling:
250 grs ricotta
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 egg
Salt and pepper
Method:
Pasta:
Cook the spinach for 5 minutes in a big saucepan with just one tablespoon of olive oil.
Add all the ingredients for the pasta dough in a food processor. Mix until the ingredients are joined. Transfer the dough to the kitchen bench and knead by hand for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth. Let the covered dough rest for 30 minutes. This step is essential and will make the rolling and stretching process much easier. Roll out the dough until thin sheets are obtained. If you are using an automatic pasta maker, start with the widest setting (0) and continue until you reach 6. It has to be thin.
Filling:
Mix the ricotta with the egg, nutmeg and season with salt, pepper.
Assembling and shaping:
Spread a thin sheet of dough on the counter and using a pasta cutter cut into 2.5cm squares. If you would like them bigger to hold more filling, go for 5cm squares. The 2.5 cm squares can hold half a teaspoon of filling. I cut all the squares to have them ready and then I worked filling and shaping batches of 8-10 cappelletti. I covered the remaining squares with a slightly wet kitchen towel so they don’t dry out. Shaping will be difficult if the squares have dried out.
Assembling:
To make the cappelletti, place a teaspoon of filling in the centre of a square and slightly moisten the edge with a very small amount of water using a pastry brush or your fingers. Gently fold the pasta over and seal at the top forming a triangle. Work your fingers down the edges to seal, pushing out any air bubbles as you go. Take the corners of the little cappelletti and bring together around your little finger and press together to seal. Try making one and adjust the amount of filling if needed.
Repeat until you have used all the pasta and filling, storing them on a tray dusted with semolina until you are ready to cook them.
Cook in boiling water (add 1 tablespoon of salt per litre of water) for 8-10 minutes. Try one and test if it’s cooked, especially in the folded corners.
If you want to freeze them, place the cappelletti on a baking tray lined with baking paper and take to the freezer for one hour (see picture below). Space them so they don't stick together. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. They can be stored in the freezer for several months.
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