Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [102]
1. Peel the onion and carrot, and rinse the carrot and celery under cold water.
2. Put enough water in a pan to cover the fish at a later point. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, and bring to a boil.
3. Add the fish, vinegar, and salt, and cover the pan. When the water returns to a boil, adjust the heat so that the fish cooks at a gentle, steady simmer. Cook about 8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.
4. Using a slotted spoon or spatula, transfer the fish to a platter. Remove the skin, any gelatinous matter, the center bone, and carefully pick out all the small bones you may find. Do not be concerned about keeping the piece of fish whole, because you will shortly have to break it up for the stuffing.
5. Put the fish in a bowl and mash it with a fork. Add the egg yolks, grated Parmesan, marjoram, a tiny grating—about ⅛ teaspoon—of nutmeg, just a few grindings of pepper, and the heavy cream. Mix all ingredients with a fork until they are evenly amalgamated. Taste and correct for salt.
6. Make yellow pasta dough by the machine method, or by the hand-rolled method. Cut it, stuff it with the fish mixture, and shape it into tortellini. When boiling the pasta, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the water.
Tortelli Stuffed with Parsley and Ricotta
About 140 tortelli, 6 servings
FOR THE STUFFING
½ cup chopped parsley
1 ½ cups fresh ricotta
1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Salt
1 egg yolk
Whole nutmeg
FOR THE PASTA
Homemade yellow pasta dough, made by the machine method, OR by the hand-rolled method, using 3 large eggs, 1⅔ cups unbleached flour, and 1 tablespoon milk
Recommended sauce First choice goes to the Cream and Butter Sauce, second to Tomato Sauce with Heavy Cream. Serve with grated Parmesan.
1. Put the parsley, ricotta, grated Parmesan, salt, egg yolk, and a tiny grating—about ¼ teaspoon—of nutmeg into a bowl and mix with a fork until all ingredients are evenly combined. Taste and correct for salt.
2. Make yellow pasta dough by the machine method, or by the hand-rolled method. Cut it for square tortelli with 2-inch sides, and stuff with the ricotta and parsley mixture. When boiling the pasta, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the water.
Tortelloni Stuffed with Swiss Chard, Prosciutto, and Ricotta
About 140 tortelloni, 6 servings
FOR THE STUFFING
2 pounds Swiss chard, if the stalks are very thin, OR 2½ pounds, if the stalks are broad, OR 2 pounds fresh spinach
Salt
2½ tablespoons onion chopped very fine
3½ tablespoons chopped prosciutto OR pancetta OR unsmoked boiled ham
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup fresh ricotta
1 egg yolk
⅔ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Whole nutmeg
FOR THE PASTA
Homemade yellow pasta dough, made by the machine method, OR by the hand-rolled method, using 3 large eggs, approximately 1⅔ cups unbleached flour, and 1 tablespoon milk
Recommended sauce Butter and Sage Sauce, Butter and Parmesan Cheese Sauce, or Tomato Sauce with Heavy Cream. Serve with grated Parmesan.
1. Pull the Swiss chard leaves from the stalks, or the spinach from its stems, and discard any bruised, wilted, or discolored leaves. If you have a mature chard with large, white stalks, save the stalks and use them in Swiss Chard Stalks Gratinéed with Parmesan Cheese. Soak the leaves in a basin of cold water, lifting out the chard and changing the water several times, until there is no trace of soil at the bottom of the basin.
2. Gently scoop up the leaves without shaking them and put them in a pot with just the water that clings to them. Add large pinches of salt to keep the vegetable green, cover the pot, turn on the heat to medium, and cook until tender, about 12 minutes or so, depending on the freshness of the chard or spinach. Drain, and as soon as it is cool enough to handle, squeeze it gently to drive out as much moisture as possible, and chop it very fine.
3. In a small sauté pan put the onion, prosciutto, and butter and turn on the heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until the onion becomes translucent, then add the chopped chard or spinach. Cook for