Homemade Tortellini

For the fresh pasta:
Pile up flour on a clean work surface. Make a deep well in the middle, enough to accommodate eggs. Add eggs, salt and olive oil into the well. Start pulling the flour into the well from the sides. Do it a little at a time until the dough takes shape.

Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. All climates are different. So, if your dough is too sticky add a little flour, if it’s too dry add a little water.

Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes. You can also store the dough in the fridge for up to 24 hours, just let it come to room temperature before rolling it out. (If you’re going to freeze the dough, put the wrapped disk in a resealable bag and make sure to get as much air out as possible. Use within 1 month.)

Cut dough into quarters. Keep the other pieces covered with a damp paper towel to prevent the dough from drying out while working with 1/4 at a time.

Press the quarter of dough flat so it easily fits into the pasta roller. Start off on the thickest setting of your pasta roller and begin to run the dough through the machine. Roll through each setting until you reach your desired thickness. My sweet spot for most pasta is a 6 or 7 setting on the KitchenAid attachment. It will get thinner and smoother with each pass.

Lay out rolled pasta sheets on a well-floured surface.

For the tortellini:
Cut pasta sheets using 2, 3 or 4-inch rounds using a cookie cutter.

In a medium-sized bowl combine ricotta, Parmesan, spinach, egg, pepper and nutmeg. Mix it all together. Put the filling in a resealable bag and snip one corner off for easy piping of the filling. Pipe about ½ teaspoon of the filling into the center of each round.

For the egg wash:
Beat together egg and water. Brush egg wash on half of the round. Fold over and gently press to seal. Bring the 2 ends together and seal with a little bit more of the egg wash and fold up the edge.

Place tortellini on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and dusted with flour to keep from sticking while you work on the rest.

Boil for 3–5 minutes until they float to the surface. Strain, toss with your favorite sauce and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Alton Brown.