rabbit and spinach tortelli

tortelli di coniglio e spinaci

TOTAL TIME: 2 hours

MAKES: 6 to 8 servings

View full image

Ingredients

1 (3-pound) rabbit, cut into 8 pieces
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
1celery rib, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 bay leaves
1 small rosemary sprig plus 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
4 sage leaves plus 2 teaspoons finely chopped sage
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons whole milk
1/2 pound spinach, tough stems removed, finely chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

In a large skillet, combine rabbit pieces, onion, carrot, celery, 2 tablespoons butter, bay leaves, rosemary sprig, sage leaves, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Reduce heat to low and gently cook, covered, turning rabbit pieces and adding wine halfway through, until rabbit is tender, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, make the pasta.

On a clean work surface, mound flour and form a deep well in the center. Add eggs, milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the well. Using a fork, gently break up yolks and slowly incorporate flour from inside rim of well. Continue until liquid is absorbed, then knead until smooth, about 8 minutes. Wrap dough tightly in plastic; let rest 30 minutes.

When rabbit is tender, remove pan from heat. Reserving the bones, remove meat from bones. Return bones to pan; set aside. Transfer meat to the bowl of a food processor; purée until smooth. In a bowl, combine meat, spinach, cheese, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and nutmeg; stir well to combine.

Divide pasta dough into 8 pieces. Wrap 7 pieces tightly in plastic. Flatten dough so that it will fit through the rollers of a pasta machine. Set rollers of pasta machine at the widest setting, then feed pasta through rollers 3 or 4 times, folding and turning pasta until it is smooth and the width of the machine. Roll pasta through machine, decreasing the setting one notch at a time (do not fold or turn pasta), until pasta sheet is 1/8 inch thick.

Cut pasta sheet into 2 1/2-inch squares. Place about 1 1/2 teaspoons filling on each square and fold dough over filling, crosswise, to form a triangle, then, using your fingers, gently but firmly press spaces around each mound to eliminate any air pockets.

Transfer tortelli to a dry baking sheet and cover with a clean dishtowel. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Add 1 1/4 cups water to pan with bones and vegetables. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes. Strain sauce into a bowl; discard solids. Using the same pan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat until melted. Add chopped rosemary and sage, and parsley; cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Add sauce and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Gently simmer sauce until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. In 4 batches, cook tortelli at a gentle boil until edges are tender, about 2 1/2 minutes, transferring batches to a large serving bowl as you go. When all tortelli are cooked, add sauce to bowl; gently toss. Serve immediately.

November 2011