RECIPE: Spinach and Ricotta Pasta Roll - Rotolo Di Spinaci
Serves 6 Prep 20 minutes Cook 20 minutes
For the pasta:
400g tipo 00 flour
4 large free range eggs
pinch of salt
For the filling:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
500g fresh spinach, washed
350g pot ricotta cheese
50g pecorino cheese, finely grated plus extra for serving
For the tomato and pepper sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
pinch chilli flakes
200g roasted peppers, roughly chopped
750g jar passata
1 tsp runny honey
Fresh basil leaves to garnish
1 To prepare the pasta, pile the flour on a clean work surface and make a well in the centre. Add the eggs and a pinch of salt then using your fingertips, break up the eggs and bring the flour into the well, mixing all the time until it starts to come together to form a dough.
Alternatively, put the flour, salt and eggs into a food processor and pulse until the dough comes together into a loose ball.
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Hide Ad2 Knead the dough on a lightly-floured surface until smooth for five minutes. Wrap in cling film and chill while you prepare the filling and sauce.
3 For the filling, place the spinach in a large saucepan, without adding water. Cook gently until wilted. Drain and cool, then squeeze out excess water and chop roughly. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion until softened, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the spinach, season with sea salt and ground black pepper and set aside to cool.
4 For the sauce: heat the olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the garlic slices and cook gently for just a minute.
Add the chilli flakes, and chopped peppers and cook for 1 minute.
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Hide AdPour in the passata and honey and simmer gently for just 15–20 minutes.
5 Stir the ricotta cheese and pecorino into the cooled spinach mixture.
On a work surface dusted with flour, roll the pasta out by hand into a large sheet as thinly as possible - you should end up with a sheet about 35 cm square. Spread the spinach filling over the pasta right up to the edges.
Gently roll up the pasta into a large sausage and place on a large sheet of muslin or a large clean tea towel.
Wrap as tightly as you can, securing with string.
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Hide Ad6 Fill a large roasting tin with water and bring to the boil. Add the pasta roll to the water, covering with a lid or a big sheet of foil and simmer for 18–20 minutes.
7 Meanwhile, blend the tomato and pepper sauce until smooth, with a stick or jug blender.
8 Transfer the pasta roll to a board. Unwrap and remove the muslin or tea towel. Cut the roll into 1.5cm slices. Spoon the sauce into the centre of serving plates and arrange two slices of the pasta roll on top of the sauce. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve with extra pecorino scattered over the top.