A few years ago, I met Chef Davide at his restaurant in occasion of a catering event. I went there together with my Italian friends and as soon as we started eating the antipasti we felt at home: the flavour of the food reminded us of our home country. From that day I’ve always been a trustworthy client of Tavola Calda, and a spectator of its changing: from being a take away to becoming and authentic and super cozy restaurant.

Recently, Davide told me his story and I got to know that he lived and worked in many different places around the world. What was amazing was that he maintained his Italian soul in his cuisine, and was not influenced by the cultures surrounding him. Coming from Bologna, one of his specialties is obviously the homemade egg pasta.

During a recent Christmas dinner I ate his Antipasto (which I loved, and can’t wait to eat again) consisting of 4 small appetisers. That night we had been served a perfumed zuppetta di pesce, some crispy fresh fried artichokes (my favourites), a light carpaccio with puntarelle chicory and Parmesan flakes, and last but not least, grilled radicchio with burrata and prosciutto crudo.

Beside that he treated us with his delicious homemade spinach Tortelloni filled with Ricotta and Potatoes, seasoned with Truffle Pecorino cheese.

Tortelloni filled with Ricotta and Potatoes, seasoned with Truffle Pecorino cheese.

Davide perfectly paired these Tortelloni with a special Belle Vignole IGP white wine.

This organic wine with no yeast and no sulfur is only made with the Fiano di Salento grapes in a natural farm Tenuta Macchiarola based in Lizzano – Apulia – Southern Italy. This version sees 3 weeks of skin contact before pressing and natural fermentation.

Thanks to Davide for sharing this recipe with us and letting us taste this intriguing light-orange color wine.

**The dish: Homemade Spinach Tortelloni filled with Ricotta and Potatoes seasoned with Truffle Pecorino Cheese**

INGREDIENTS for 8 servings:

for the tortelloni dough:
150 g fresh spinach, washed
2 eggs
250 g semola flour
250 g flour

for the filling:

1 kg potatoes
400 g ricotta
grated Pecorino al Tartufo (Truffle Pecorino), to taste
salt
ground pepper

for the fonduta seasoning:

Truffle Oil
250 g truffle pecorino cheese
300 g ricotta
120 g milk

INSTRUCTIONS

For the tortelloni dough:

Put in a mixer the flour and the spinach. Mix until obtaining a green flour. Then pour it in a Kitchen Aid bowl equipped with the dough hook. Add the eggs and mix until the dough just comes together. If you don’t have a Kitchen Aid, knead with your hands to form a dough.

Remove the dough from the bowl and knead by hand for 2 minutes on a floured surface. Let it rest at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes, covered with a towel.

For the filling:

Boil the potatoes with the peel. Peel them still warm and pass them to the vegetable-mill. Allow to cool and add all the other ingredients. Mix very well and keep aside.
Cut the dough into 5-6 pieces before processing each piece with a pasta – sheet attachment, or with a manual pasta – machine.
Take the first piece of dough, dust it lightly with flour and flatten into a rectangular shape, setting the machine at the widest setting (number 1 – pasta machine usually goes from number 1 to number 5). Fold the dough in half and run it through the machine again. We did this three times.
Set the pasta machine at the narrower setting (‌number 2) and proceed as before. Continue to press the dough until the number 3 setting (which is not the thinner).
Repeat the same procedure for each piece of dough. Keep the pasta covered with a towel.

Cut the strip dough into squares (around 8 cm side). Put a small amount of filling in the center of each square (as shown in the picture above). Bring one edge on the opposite one to shape a triangle. Then with your finger press them together and seal the open sides. Now bring the two down edges in a circle and firmly press together to shape tortelloni. Repeat with the rest of pasta dough. Dust lightly the Tortelloni with flour.

Shaping Tortelloni with Spinach and Ricotta — Shaping the homemade Tortelloni

Fill a big pot with water and bring to a boil. When it is boiling add the salt and gently pour tortelloni in. Let cook for no longer than 5 minutes.

In the meantime make the pecorino cheese fonduta: combine very well the pecorino, cheese with the ricotta and the milk. Pour in a pan and heat up until 90°C, mixing for about 6 min.