Spinach & Ricotta Rotolo

By: The Food Hunter

The best way to describe this dish is as giant open-faced ravioli. Rotolo is several thick sheets of pasta, spread with your favorite filling, and poached. This might seem a bit daunting at first but it really isn't that hard to make and the results are spectacular.

Spinach & Ricotta Rotolo
(recipe adapted from Theo Randall)
 
For the pasta dough
400 g '00' flour, plus extra for dusting
2 whole eggs
12 egg yolks
olive oil

Place the flour, eggs, egg yolks and olive oil into a food processor and process for one minute, or until the mixture comes together to form a dough. Turn the dough out into a bowl, cover and let rest 30 minutes.

Divide dough into two equal pieces. Lightly flour each piece and pass through a pasta machine several times, gradually reducing the thickness, until you reach the thinnest setting and the pasta feels smooth and elastic. Set aside on a tray and cover with a slightly damp tea towel until ready to use.


For the tomato sauce
olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1can crushed tomatoes
1 bunch basil, chopped

Heat the olive oil in a medium pan and gently saute garlic over a low heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the  tomatoes and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Stir in the basil and mix well.

For the spinach/ricotta
1 lb spinach
pat of butter
1 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp chopped oregano
pinch nutmeg
1lb ricotta cheese
freshly grated Parmesan

Blanch the spinach in a pan of boiling water for 1-2 minutes, or until wilted. Drain well and squeeze out any excess moisture with your hands, then finely chop.

Melt the butter in a medium pan until foaming, add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the oregano, chopped spinach and a pinch of nutmeg. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.

Mix the spinach with the ricotta cheese and set aside.


Putting it together
Preheat the oven to350.

Trim the pasta sheets into rectangles and place onto a large clean tea towel, overlapping them slightly to form one large rectangle (press the edges together to seal). Spread the spinach mixture over the pasta sheet, then roll up, using the tea towel to help wrap up the roll. Tie the ends of the towels with kitchen string.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Place the rolled tea towel into the water and poach for 20 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool for a few minutes before unwrapping.

Slice the rolls into pieces and place into an oiled casserole. Cover with the tomato sauce and sprinkle with the grated Parmesan. Broil for a few minutes, until the topping is golden-brown and bubbling.

Serve immediately.