Weekly Recipe: Ricotta Tortellini By Tutore Italian Cooking School In Chicago

Quick and easy.

That’s what most recipe videos, food-delivery meal kit systems and the whole of internet culinary culture seem to sell to the would-be home cook—and why not? Life is busy and time moves fast. You want to provide yourself, family and friends with nutritious and delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners. You don’t need another big task on your to-do list.

Still, there’s a lot of love to be gleaned from the old cooking traditions, and there’s a lot of fun to be had in the kitchen if you take a step back and make some meals a momentous occasion, maybe even a memory that will last a lifetime.

See also: Weekly Recipe: Cacio E Pepe By Antica Pesa Brooklyn

Enter the Tutore Italian Cooking School in Chicago. Turtore was opened by two chefs, Dean Zanella and James De Marte, who noticed a generation of food-makers intimated by the thought of making really good meals.

Dean Zanella and James De Marte

At Tutore, Zanella and De Marte teach Italian cooking techniques and traditions that are much simpler and more enjoyable than anyone might realize. To prove it, chef Zanella is sharing his recipe for ricotta tortellini with English peas and pecorino with our readers below.

“This recipe resonates with both chef James and I on a few notes because of the seasonality of the fresh peas,” Zanella says, “which reminds us both of springtime (for James, it is shucking cases of peas in Italy and for me, when they first came out of my father’s garden, super sweet tasting). Also, part of the reason we opened Tutore is to get people back to cooking in their home kitchens, and fresh pasta always sparks the memories of sitting around the family table making hundreds (sometimes thousands) of cappelletti, ravioli and such.”

From making your own pasta dough to mixing the perfect filling, this step-by-step recipe walks you through every moment of this timeless dish. There’s no need to be intimidated, but it might make you look like an award-winning chef at your next dinner gathering. Of course, it’s the perfect activity to share with friends, kids and family, too!

Ricotta Tortellini with English Peas and Pecorino

Ingredients:

Pasta Dough

• 2 Cups 00 flour
• 2 eggs
• Water as needed

Filling

• 1½ cups ricotta cheese
• ¼ cup pecorino cheese
• 1 Egg
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• ½ tsp lemon zest
• Kosher salt and pepper

Sauce

• ¼ pound pancetta finely diced
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup shelled fresh peas
• ½ cup pasta cooking water
• ¼ cup pecorino cheese

Directions:

Pasta Dough

1. Begin by making the dough for the tortellini. Mix together the flour, eggs and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Add a few drops of water a little at a time until the mixture comes together.
2. Knead on a wooden surface until the dough is smooth. Shape into a ball, wrap in cling film, then leave to rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Filling

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, pecorino, egg, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Roll out the Pasta
3. Divide the pasta dough in half, working with one half at a time and keeping the other piece wrapped.
4. Set up a pasta roller attachment on a stand mixer (or secure a hand roller to the side of your work surface). Lightly flour a work surface and roll out your dough until it is thin enough to pass through the pasta roller. Set your roller to the widest setting. Turn on the pasta roller and pass the dough through once. Fold the rolled-out piece of dough over itself, and then pass through the roller again.
5. Adjust the roller to the second widest setting, dust both sides of the dough with flour, and pass it through twice (without folding). Repeat, adjusting to a thinner setting each time and passing through twice, until the dough is thin enough that it is slightly translucent.

Tortellini

1. Dust a work surface and rimmed baking sheet with semolina flour. Lay out the sheet of fresh pasta on the prepared surface and trim it into 3 pieces. Cut the pasta sheets into 3-inch rounds.
2. Lightly dampen the pasta with a brush and spoon a teaspoon-sized mound of filling in the center of each piece of pasta. Fold it in half to create a half-moon. Press firmly to seal the edges and eliminate any air.
3. Grab the folded corners of the pasta and place a finger at the center of the folded side of the pasta. Pull the edges around your finger and press the ends together to seal, creating a little pasta around your finger. Remove your finger and transfer the finished stuffed pasta to the prepared baking sheet.
4. Repeat with the remaining pieces.

To Cook the Pasta

1. Using a large pot, boil salted water. Place ravioli in the water. Once the ravioli float, cook for an additional 4 minutes. Drain, but reserve 1 cup of water for the sauce.

Sauce

1. In a Sautee pan, add the pancetta and render down until partly crispy. Add the butter and cooking water to the sautee pan and cook for another minute. Add the peas and cook for 1 minute until they are tender.
2. Add the pasta and chives. Cook an additional minute. Place in bowls and top with remaining pecorino cheese.

Visit Tutore Italian Cooking School in Chicago and online to learn more.