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Twisted Tortelli

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Time

55 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 6 (Makes about 36 tortelli)

Twisted Tortelli

Ingredients

1 pound fresh pasta sheets 1 filling recipe (see headnote)1 tablespoon table salt 1 sauce recipe (see headnote)

Before You Begin

Many Americans are not familiar with this pasta from Northern Italy. The shape is extremely easy to prepare and takes little time to execute; its twisted form resembles candy wrappers. For the filling, use one of the following options: Spinach and Ricotta FillingSquash, Prosciutto, and Parmesan FillingMeat and Ricotta Filling; or Wild Mushroom Filling. For the sauce, use our Garden Tomato Sauce or Brown Butter and Pine Nut Sauce.

Instructions

  1. Use a fluted pastry wheel to cut pasta sheet into rectangles measuring four-by-five inches. Lift one rectangle from work surface (otherwise it might stick when stuffed) and place it on another clean part of the counter. Place a rounded teaspoon of filling in the center of rectangle.
  2. With a long side facing you, fold the bottom third of the rectangle over the filling. Next, fold the top third over the filling so that it just barely overlaps with the folded piece from the bottom.
  3. Place hands at either end of the pasta and twist in opposite directions to form candy-wrapper shape.
  4. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large stockpot. Add salt and half the pasta. Cook until twisted ends are al dente, about 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer tortelli to warmed bowls or plates; add sauce. Meanwhile, put remaining tortelli in boiling water and repeat cooking process. (Or bring two pots of water to boil and cook both batches simultaneously.)
Twisted Tortelli

Twisted Tortelli

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

55 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 6 (Makes about 36 tortelli)

Ingredients

1 pound fresh pasta sheets
1 filling recipe (see headnote)
1 tablespoon table salt
1 sauce recipe (see headnote)

Ingredients

1 pound fresh pasta sheets
1 filling recipe (see headnote)
1 tablespoon table salt
1 sauce recipe (see headnote)

Ingredients

1 pound fresh pasta sheets
1 filling recipe (see headnote)
1 tablespoon table salt
1 sauce recipe (see headnote)

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted a fresh pasta recipe that could be used to create a variety of filled pasta shapes. We found that the food processor kneaded our simple dough, made with just flour and eggs, almost to perfection. Kneading the dough by hand for an additional minute or two made our pasta dough silky and smooth. Running the dough, in pieces, through a manual pasta machine until it was translucent gave us the delicate egg pasta recipe we were after.

Before You Begin

Many Americans are not familiar with this pasta from Northern Italy. The shape is extremely easy to prepare and takes little time to execute; its twisted form resembles candy wrappers. For the filling, use one of the following options: Spinach and Ricotta FillingSquash, Prosciutto, and Parmesan FillingMeat and Ricotta Filling; or Wild Mushroom Filling. For the sauce, use our Garden Tomato Sauce or Brown Butter and Pine Nut Sauce.

Instructions

  1. Use a fluted pastry wheel to cut pasta sheet into rectangles measuring four-by-five inches. Lift one rectangle from work surface (otherwise it might stick when stuffed) and place it on another clean part of the counter. Place a rounded teaspoon of filling in the center of rectangle.
  2. With a long side facing you, fold the bottom third of the rectangle over the filling. Next, fold the top third over the filling so that it just barely overlaps with the folded piece from the bottom.
  3. Place hands at either end of the pasta and twist in opposite directions to form candy-wrapper shape.
  4. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large stockpot. Add salt and half the pasta. Cook until twisted ends are al dente, about 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer tortelli to warmed bowls or plates; add sauce. Meanwhile, put remaining tortelli in boiling water and repeat cooking process. (Or bring two pots of water to boil and cook both batches simultaneously.)

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