rotolo di spinachi
Fresh pasta roll stuffed with spinach ricotta and porcini mushrooms with sweet tomato sauce. Image credit: BBC Good Food.
Serves 6
pasta dough
Ingredients
350g tipo flour
4 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
25g fine semolina flour
METHOD
Blend all ingredients in a blender. Remove dough and wrap in cling film and keep in fridge for 30 mins. Take the dough out and place in a pasta roller. Turn the dial so the rollers are at their widest setting. Feed the dough through folding over each time, repeat this process 6 times so the dough becomes elasticated. Start turning the dial down so the pasta gets thinner. When you can see the silhouette of your hand behind the pasta sheet, you have the correct thickness. Roll out and cut 3 equal length sheets of pasta of about 50 cm long. Using a wet pastry brush connect the 3 sheets of pasta together to make one large sheet. Cover with a damp tea towel so the pasta doesn't dry out.
Filling & Sauce
Ingredients
600g cooked spinach, that has been squeezed and finely chopped
500g of fresh ricotta cheese
50g dried porcini mushrooms
100g grated Parmesan cheese
600g tomato passata
1 garlic clove
1 tsp of fresh thyme
Method
Mix the cooked spinach with the ricotta
Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in boiling water so they are soft. Drain the juice, finely chop the soaked mushrooms. In a heavy based sauce pan, soften the garlic in the olive oil then add the chopped porcini mushrooms with the fresh thyme. Cook for 3 minutes then add the soaking juice of the mushrooms, reduce by half then add the tomato pasatta and reduce by half. Season, add a tbsp of double cream and leave to one side.
Place the large pasta sheet on a White tea towel
Mix the cooked spinach with the ricotta, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Spread over the large pasta sheet so all the edges are covered and an even thickness. Roll the pasta in to a large sausage shape. Roll the tea towel up into the pasta then secure with string. Fill a fish kettle up with boiling salted water and cook for 15 mins. Remove and take off the tea towel. Leave to cool then slice into 3cm slices. Place in oven dish and place a spoonful of the porcini and tomato sauce on to each slice. Bake in a oven at 180c for 10 mins. The edges should be slightly crispy, finish with a fine grating of Parmesan cheese.