ROTOLO DI PASTA

ROTOLO DI PASTA image

Categories Pasta

Yield 4 People

Number Of Ingredients 31

Ingredients

The Rotolo:
2lbs fresh spinach or (2) 10oz packages frozen spinach, thawed
salt
4 Tbs (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 oz finely chopped prosciutto
1 cup whole-milk ricotta
1 1/4 cups freshly grated parmigiano - reggiano cheese
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg yolk
Cheesecloth
String
The Sauce:
1 cup whole milk
2 Tbs (1/4 stick) butter
2 level Tbs all-purpose flour
salt and freshly ground black or white pepper
1lb fresh ripe plum tomatoes or 1.5 cups canned tomatoes
3Tbs butter
1/2 medium size onion, peeled, cut in half
salt
2Tbs freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
The sauce - mix half portion of Balsamella (Bechamel Sauce)
with half portion of Burro pomodoro sauce (tomoato & butter):
Half Bechamel Sauce:
Heat the milk until it just begins to bubble. Remove from the heat.
2)Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the flour, mixing with a wire whisk until it is smooth. Let the mixture cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, and being careful not to let it brown.
Begin adding the hot milk, a few tablespoons at a time, whisking the mixture smooth before adding more. When the consistency becomes thinner you can begin adding milk more rapidly. Continue until all the milk has been mixed in.
4 Cook over a medium low heat, stirring constantly with the whisk, until the sauce begins to thicken. The sauce is done when it coats the whisk thickly. Season with salt and pepper before removing from the heat. Bechamel sauce is best when used the same day but it keeps overnight in the refrigerator if necessary.
Half Burro e pomodoro
1)Put all the ingredients except the cheese in a saucepan and simmer over a low heat until the tomotoes have reduced and simmer over a low heat until the tomatoes have reduced and separated from the butter: 20-40 minutes depending on the size of the pan. Remove from the heat and set aside, discarding the onion halfes.

Steps:

Pasta: Enough to create a 12 x 16in rectangle - if using sheets lay strips of pasta side by side and slightly overlapping. Moisten overlapping edges w/water & seal them together. The Rotolo 1) if using fresh spinach, remove the stems, wash leaves. Place in pan med-hi, salt. Cover & cook till tender 8-10min. If using frozen cook 3 mins in salted boiling water to just cover spinach. Drain & squeeze out water, coarsely chop. 2)Melt butter add onion cook till gorgeous. Stir in prosciutto saute 1 minute. Add spinach and saute 3 mins. Transfer to bowl, cool. 3) Add ricotta, 1C grated cheese, the nutmeg & egg yolk to the bowl, mix w/fork then knead w/your hands to mash it all together! Taste for salt & set aside. 4)Spread the spinach filling over pasta, no more than 1/4in deep. Leave 1/2in clear along edges. Roll pasta sheet and filling like a jelly roll, pinch the ends shut, then wrap it tightly in cheesecloth, tying the ends w/string 5)Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan/pot, salt & gently immerse pasta roll. Cook at a steady boil for 20min then lift it out carefully using tongs or big ole'spoons. Unwrap & cool. To Assemble And Bake: 1)Make bechamel sauce & mix with burro e pomodoro sauce 2)preheat over to 400f 3)Cut cooled pasta roll into 1/2in slices 4)Spread lil'bit of sauce on bottom of shallow baking dish. Lay pasta roll slices on top, overlapping like tiles if necessary 5)Cover past roll slices w/rest of sauce-top w/rest of grated cheese --You can assemble up to this poin & bake later-- 6)place on the upper rack of preheated over. Bake 15-20 min or until light crust forms. Remove from over, rest for 10 mins, serve!