Ricotta tortelli with raw tomato and basil sauce
from Everything I Love to Cook by Neil Perry
Serves 4
I first started making this from the River Café 30 cookbook, published to mark the restaurant’s thirtieth anniversary. All the recipes are so simple and beautiful, but just as in the restaurant itself, the ingredients must be the very best and in season. They cut the dough into ravioli (and so can you if you want to), but here I make tortelli, which is that classic lolly-wrapper shape. This raw tomato sauce is only for summer, when vine-ripened or heirloom tomatoes are off the sweetness charts; otherwise, serve the tortelli with a cooked tomato sauce instead.
You’ll need
1 quantity of fresh pasta dough
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Finely grated ricotta salata (salted ricotta) or pecorino, to serve
For the filling
750 g (1 lb 10 oz) ricotta
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
For the raw tomato and basil sauce
5 very ripe, summer tomatoes, cored and seeds removed, finely chopped
10 basil leaves
100 ml (3½ fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
Method
To make the filling, season the ricotta with nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, and mix together well.
Start putting the dough through the pasta machine, gradually lowering the setting; take it through on the lowest setting twice to get the sheet of pasta as thin as possible. Lay the pasta sheet on the bench and cut it in half lengthways, then cut the halves into 8 cm (3¼ inch) squares.
Place a teaspoonful of the filling towards the bottom right-hand corner of a square and carefully brush the other three sides of the square with a damp pastry brush. Roll the bottom right-hand corner over and into the middle of the square; continue to roll it over flat, then press the sides down with the edges of your hands or your index fingers. You should have a little parcel reminiscent of a Minties wrapped sweet. Repeat with the remaining squares.
Lightly flour the tortelli and spread them out on the bench to dry for 10 minutes, turning them occasionally so they dry evenly.
Meanwhile, for the sauce, simply combine all the ingredients.
Cook the tortelli in plenty of boiling salted water for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and divide between four plates. Very gently warm the tomato sauce and spoon over the tortelli, then serve with ricotta salata or pecorino.
Tip
This type of ravioli or tortelli is best made on the day you wish to serve it, or alternatively it freezes well (see page 156).
Variation
You can fill this pasta with anything you like: roasted mashed pumpkin (squash) is amazing, especially with either crushed amaretti biscuits or crushed almonds through it. Serve with finely grated parmesan and spoonfuls of the nut-brown butter on page 159.
