Tortelloni Pasta From Evan Funke

Directions

1. Tortelloni
2. Roll one dough ball to a thickness of 9 Post-it® Notes on a lightly floured work surface. Set it aside on your work surface, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes to dry slightly.
3. Cover the sfoglia with plastic and let rest for 2 to 3 minutes more.
4. Set an accordion pastry cutter to 2½ in [6 cm]. Use firm and even pressure to cut the sfoglia into strips, moving from south to north. The edge of the pastry cutter should graze the west edge of the sfoglia. Beginning at the bottom edge of the sfoglia, use firm and even pressure to cut the sfoglia into strips, east to west. Clear away any irregular pieces and add them to your maltagliati pile. Cover the sfoglia with a clean, unscented plastic trash can liner, leaving the first row, closest to you, exposed.
5. Make the filling: In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt, and the egg. Whisk vigorously until very smooth, about 1½ minutes. Using a spatula, fold in the parsley. Transfer the ricotta mixture to a pastry bag (no tip needed).
6. The filling will keep, refrigerated in the pastry bag (cover the exposed end) or an airtight container, for up to 3 days.
7. Fill the tortelloni: Pipe a grapesize amount (about 2 tsp) of ripieno in the middle of each pasta piece.
8. Shape the tortelloni: Orient a piece of pasta as a diamond in the palm of one hand. Using your thumb and index finger, fold the southern tip of the diamond up and over the filling. Join it to the northern tip, forming a triangle. Using those same two fingers, seal the triangle just at the top, pressing the pasta to a single thickness. With the same hand, use your thumb and index finger to connect and seal one edge of the triangle. Transfer the pasta to your opposite hand and seal the remaining edge of the triangle. Transfer the sealed triangle back to your other hand, gripping it with your index finger and thumb at the pressed tip. To make the fold, support the bottom of the filling with a hooked index finger. Then, with your thumb, fold the sealed flap toward you, gently forming a crease on that side while running your thumb from the top of the triangle down toward the tip. Once at the tip, grip the crease delicately with your thumb and hooked index finger and allow it to hang. Repeat on the other side and, in one motion, wrap the pasta around your index finger and connect the two tips, pressing the connection points to a single thickness.
9. As each tortellone is shaped, place it on a clean work surface, taking care not to let it touch the other pieces. Repeat the filling and shaping with the remaining dough, working one row at a time. Allow the shaped pasta to dry on your work surface, uncovered, for about 15 minutes.
10. The tortelloni are ready to use now, or you can blanch them for future use.
11. Meanwhile, repeat the process with the remaining dough ball and filling.

1. Sfoglia all’uovo
2. Make the pasta dough: Sift the flour onto your work surface and make an 8-inch (20-centimeter) diameter well in the center. You should be able to see the work surface in the middle and the well's walls should be high enough to contain the eggs.
3. Pour the eggs into the well. Working from the interior edge of the well, use a fork to incorporate a bit of the flour with the eggs. Continue incorporating a bit of flour at a time until the dough is the consistency of a pancake batter. Clean off any flour mixture stuck to the fork and add it to the dough.
4. Using a bench scraper, scrape any remaining flour from the work surface into the dough. Working in a clockwise motion, cut the dough together as though you are making biscuits: scrape, fold, and cut. Continue working the dough until a shaggy mass forms, 2 to 3 minutes. Parts of the mass will be rather wet, while other parts will be floury. Scrape any dough from the bench scraper into the mass.
5. Knead the pasta dough: With both hands, pull the far end of the dough toward you quickly and energetically, fold it over itself, then push it away from you using the heels of you palms. Rotate the dough a quarter turn and repeat the kneading for 3 to 5 minutes until the dough is a compact mass. The dough will be slightly tacky.
6. Using a bench scraper, scrape any dry bits of dough from your work surface and discard. Wash, but do not dry, your hands and continue kneading the dough as before until it is relatively smooth with a cellulite-like texture, an indication of gluten formation, 3 to 5 minutes more.
7. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, seam-side up, and smooth out any air pockets. Set aside to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
8. Shape the pasta dough: Unwrap the dough. Halve it with a sharp knife, cutting in a sawing motion. On a lightly floured surface, knead one piece of dough energetically with both hands, anchoring the dough with your non-dominant hand as you pull the far end of the dough toward you, then press down, through, and away, with your dominant hand. Turn the dough counterclockwise using your non-dominant hand, moving it as you knead in 1- to 2-inch increments, like the hour markings on a clock.
9. If the dough feels too dry, spray it and your hands with water, a little at a time, until it loses its dryness. If you are closing the round ball and find the folded end (or back door) is not sealing, spray that with a touch of water to help it along. Continue kneading until the dough is soft and smooth all the way around, 3 to 5 minutes. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
10. Place each dough ball in the middle of its own piece of plastic wrap measuring about a 12-inch square. Working with one ball at a time, pull one corner of the plastic wrap up and lay it over the ball. Then, turning and rotating as you go, make 15 to 20 tiny pleated folds of plastic, almost like a candy wrapper, until the ball is fully and tightly sealed. The plastic wrap will follow the contour of the dough, which will create even pressure and support from all sides and prevent a flat surface or hard edge from developing when wrapping the dough. Set the dough balls aside to rest at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours or up to 24 hours in the refrigerate before rolling.
11. The dough will keep, refrigerated and tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days. Do not freeze it. Before rolling, set the wrapped dough on the counter and let it come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. This is a must for refrigerated egg doughs.