tagAlt.Tortelli with red wine

Technical Guide to Tortelli with Butter and Sage

A professional approach to a classic, fragrant Italian starter

  • ( Scored 5 on 1 reviews )

Robert Suehring:

We did this recipe in person during a class with Chef Michel. About a month ago, almost four years later, we had fresh sage and wanted to properly ho...

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Optimized Approach for Preparing Tortelli with Butter and Sage

This technical guide details a precise method for preparing Tortelli with Butter and Sage—a flavorful Italian first course that can be efficiently executed in approximately 10 minutes using professional kitchen techniques.

This methodology is suitable for both culinary novices and experienced cooks. While creating homemade tortelli is encouraged for the best results, the procedure can be successfully adapted using high-quality pre-made tortelli. The focus is on achieving a perfectly emulsified butter-sage sauce that enhances the pasta without overwhelming its flavor profile.


Further Reading: Discover the distinctions between a classic Tortello and traditional filled pies, including the critical differences in size and the techniques required for optimal pasta sealing, in this in-depth article.

Ingredients

for 4 servings

Tortelli Dough

  • Semola flour 400 grams
  • Egg 4
  • Ricotta cheese (Sheep's Milk) 250 grams
  • Spinach (Boiled and Squeezed) 200 grams
  • Parmesan cheese (Grated) 30 grams

Tortelli with Buter and Sage Dressing

  • Parmesan cheese (Grated) 30 grams
  • Sage (Leaves) 15
  • Nutmeg

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Guidalberto - Tuscany IGT Wine - Tenuta San Guido

0.75l

Young and of great harmony, this wine allows a vast audience to appreciate the quality of Tenuta San Guido

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Preparation

for 4 servings

Step

1

Of 3

Make the filling

Rinse and dry fresh spinach leaves, and boil in salted water. Remove from heat,  drain well, and squeeze out excess liquid with your hands. Place ricotta in a medium mixing  bowl, set aside.  

Heat medium-sautè pan, coat bottom with olive oil, add spinach and sautè for several  minutes, adjusting to taste with salt. Remove from heat.  

Add sautèed spinach to ricotta, add in freshly grated Parmesan cheese and mix well  until the blend is firm and well-amalgamated. There should be no excess liquid. Season to taste with salt.

Step

2

Of 3

Make pasta dough

In a medium bowl, blend semola flour with eggs, knead to reach a smooth, soft  consistency that holds its shape when formed into a ball.  

Continue kneading dough with your palm on a floured working space. Knead until  dough is soft, elastic, and compact. Shape dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap.  Rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.  

Remove plastic wrap, continue kneading dough while shaping into a rectangle  approximately the width of your pasta machine. Begin rolling out dough using a prepared pasta machine, generously dusting the machine with semola to prevent dough  from sticking. Flatten dough through machine until desired thickness is reached,  adjusting knobs to make dough thinner with each passage.  

Dust working space well with semola. Place the pasta sheet on top of the work space, and  with a round pasta cutter, cut individual shapes, being sure to cut dough as neatly as  possible without creating waste.  

With a pastry brush, gently brush water on top of each shape. Place a small teaspoon of  filling slightly off-center on each shape. Cover shape by lifting up the larger side and  cover filling entirely. Using fingers, gently press down around filling, eliminating as  much air as possible. Press borders down firmly to seal. Join two points of each  sealed pasta shape to create tortello form. Dust tray with semola flour, and place completed tortelli shapes on top

Step

3

Of 3

Make sauce, finish dish

Cook tortelli in a large pot of salted water for 3-4 minutes. Set aside a bit of cooking  liquid to add to the butter blend. In a medium sautè pan, melt butter. Add sage leaves and  reserved cooking liquid from pasta. Allow to cook for a few minutes, until the sauce is  thickened but not too dense. Add cooked tortelli to sauce, allow to blend together a  few moments, place onto individual serving plates and dust with additional Parmesan. Serve hot.

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Filippo Bartolotta

Filippo Bartolotta

Guidalberto - Tuscany IGT Wine - Tenuta San Guido

0.75l

Young and of great harmony, this wine allows a vast audience to appreciate the quality of Tenuta San Guido

View product

...Great Italian Goodies!

Guidalberto - Tuscany IGT Wine - Tenuta San Guido

0.75l

Young and of great harmony, this wine allows a vast audience to appreciate the quality of Tenuta San Guido

View product

Villa Gemma - Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC Superior Wine - Masciarelli

0.75l

A young, lively, fragrant and crunchy rosé

View product

Guidalberto - Tuscany IGT Wine - Tenuta San Guido

0.75l

Young and of great harmony, this wine allows a vast audience to appreciate the quality of Tenuta San Guido

View product

Villa Gemma - Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC Superior Wine - Masciarelli

0.75l

A young, lively, fragrant and crunchy rosé

View product

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Reviews

R

Robert Suehring Sunday 9th of October 2022

Simple to prepare-elegant to eat

We did this recipe in person during a class with Chef Michel. About a month ago, almost four years later, we had fresh sage and wanted to properly honor that blessing. This was the recipe we pulled out. It was as good as I remembered it, minus, of course, the beauty we were surrounded with in Florence. It is very straight forward to prepare. I have no additional tips or insights from our own experiences, other than it tastes more complex than it actually is. Highly recommend.

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