Easy Italian Recipes

 MAKES ABOUT 18 oz (560g)

1 bunch spinach, about 10 oz (315 g), stemmed

3 large eggs

2 ¹/2 cups (12 ¹/2 oz/390 g) unbleached all-purpose (plain) flour, plus more for dusting

In a large pot over medium heat, combine the spinach and ¹/4 cup (2 fI oz/60 ml) water, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3-4 minutes. Drain the spinach and let cool. Place in a kitchen towel and squeeze to extract the excess liquid. Finely chop the spinach. You should have about ¹/2 cup (3 ¹/2 oz/105 g).

In a food processor, combine the spinach and eggs and process until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Add 2 cups (10 oz/315 g) of the flour and process until the flour is evenly moistened and crumbly, about 10 seconds. If the dough is very sticky, add some of the remaining ¹/2 cup (2 ¹/2 oz/75 g) flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, processing until the flour is incorporated; you may not need all of it. After 30 seconds of processing, the dough should come together and form a loose ball on top of the blade, and feel moist but not sticky when pinched.

Dust a work surface with flour, and place the ball of dough on it. To knead the dough, use the heel of one hand to push it away from you. Lift it from the far side, fold it back toward you, and then rotate the dough a quarter turn. Again, push the dough away with the heel of one hand, pull it back, and rotate a quarter turn. Stop kneading the dough when it feels damp without being sticky and is an even green with no streaks of flour. This will take only a minute or two. You will continue kneading with the pasta machine.

Shape the dough into a ball, cover with a large overturned bowl, and let rest for 30 minutes. The dough is now ready to use.

Buon appetito !

 MAKES ABOUT 1 lb  - 500g

2 ¹/2 cups (12'/2 oz/390 g) unbleached all-purpose (plain) flour, plus more for dusting

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Place 2 cups (10 oz/315 g) of the flour in a food processor. Add the eggs and olive oil and process until the flour is evenly moistened and crumbly, about 10 seconds. If the dough is very sticky, add some of the remaining ¹/2 cup (2¹/2 oz/ 75 g) flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, processing until the flour is incorporated; you may not need all of it. After about 30 seconds of processing, the dough should come together and form a loose ball on top of the blade, and feel moist but not sticky when pinched.

Dust a work surface with flour, and place the ball of dough on it. To knead the dough, use the heel of one hand to push it away from you. Lift it from the far side, fold it back toward you, and then rotate the dough a quarter turn. Again, push the dough away with the heel of one hand, pull it back, and rotate a quarter turn. Stop kneading the dough when it feels damp without being sticky and is an even yellow with no streaks of flour. This will take only a minute or two. You will continue kneading with the pasta machine.

Shape the dough into a ball, cover with a large overturned bowl, and let rest for 30 minutes. The dough is now ready to use.

VARIATION

- For black pepper pasta, add 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper to the eggs.

- For fresh herb pasta, add 1 tablespoon finely chopped herbs such as basil, marjoram, oregano, parsley, thyme, chives, or a mixture to the eggs.

- For saffron pasta, add a pinch of crushed saffron threads to the olive oil.

Buon appetito !

 MAKES 6 servings

For the filling
- 1 sugar pie pumpkin or butternut squash, about 11/2 lb (750 9)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 cup (1 oz/30 g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 Ib fresh egg pasta dough
For the sauce
- 1/2 cup (4 oz/125 g) unsalted butter
- About 10 small fresh sage leaves

Aromatic, velvety gray-green sage is a perennial that grows in profusion ali over Italy. In Roman times, it was prized for both its medicina! properties and as a flavoring. Today, its chief use is culinary, inciuding in such traditional recipes as chicken livers sautéed in butter and veal saltimbocca. Here, it infuses melted butter, to create a common northern Italian preparation for saucing stuffed pastas, in this case tortelli, a classic Lombardian ravioli.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400°F (200°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment (baking) paper.
Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Peel the pumpkin halves and cut the flesh into chunks. Place on the prepared baking sheet, and bake until very soft when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 25 minutes. Let cool to the touch, then put into a food processor. Process the pumpkin unti! smooth. Add the egg yolk and cheese and pulse to blend. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg and pulse to combine. Set aside.
Make the pasta dough, then divide and roll out each piece into a sheet 1/16 inch (2 mm). Lightly flour a rimmed baking sheet. Trim each pasta sheet into long strips that will fit on the baking sheet. Layer the strips flat on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them so they don't touch and separating each layer with a lightly floured kitchen towel.
To make the tortelli, piace one pasta strip on a floured work surface. Use a 2-inch (5-cm) round pastry cutter to make pasta circles. Place 1 teaspoon filling in the center of half the circles. Lightly brush a little water around the filling, top with the remaining circles, and press the edges to seal. Place in a single layer on a lightly floured rimmed baking sheet, separating each layer with a lightly floured kitchen towel. Keep the top layer covered as you prepare the tortelli. Repeat with the remaining strips. They will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 hours before cooking.
To make the sauce, in a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Cook, swirling the pan, unti! the butter foams and begins to brown. Add the sage and cook until the leaves crisp slightly and the butter turns nut brown, about 3 minutes. Be careful not to burn the butter. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot three-fourths full of water to a rolling boil. Add about 2 tablespoons salt, and then add the tortelli and stir gently. Cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat so the water simmers gently, unti) the tortelli rise to the surface and are al dente, 3-4 minutes.
Return the frying pan with the sauce to low heat. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer the tortelli to the sauce and toss gently to coat. Divide among warmed plates and serve at once.

Buon appetito !