Spinach Whole Wheat Tortellini

i adore tortellini. even more i love to make my own, which is exactly what i am doing today. somewhere around once a month i devote a weekend to tortellini making and thus stocking up the freezer with a small assortment of delicious little pasta pockets. really i can't think of anything better than knowing you have a fabulous fall back dinner in your freezer just waiting for you to boil up, sprinkle with olive oil and devour in less than 15 minutes.

to me there are about 3 standard tortellini filling all of which equally deserving of attention and praise: butternut squash, spinach & ricotta and wild mushroom. of those three the easiest to make has to be the spinach. get yourself a small package of frozen spinach, defrost, drain and mix. you got yourself a stuffing.

and being myself i had to make the pasta whole wheat, just for good measure. oh and don't think for a minute that you can buy wonton wrappers for this. seriously people they are called wonton wrappers. did i say anything about making wontons? not to mention they are old and sitting around a grocery store being gross and born in a factory. really! pasta is so simple and easy there are no excuses. invest in a pasta rolling machine and it will serve you well for the rest of your pasta making life.

WHOLE WHEAT PASTA DOUGH (eggless)

1c AP flour

1c whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

2 tbs olive oil

3/4c hot water

*combine the flours and salt in a bowl, make a well in the center

*pour in the hot water and oil

*begin mixing with a fork, gradually in corporation the flour into the water

*when it starts to get difficult to continue, turn out onto a floured surface and begin to knead

*add flour if too sticky or water if to dry, the dough should be firm and elastic

*wrap in plastic wrap and let sit 30minutes

*cut off about 1/5 of the dough and roll it out with your pasta machine - or a wood roller if you are real old school

*do with it as you please

SPINACH AND RICOTTA FILLING

1 1/2c whole milk ricotta

10 oz frozen spinach

1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg

1/4c chopped fresh parsley

1c parmigiana reggiano

1 egg

salt

*defrost the spinach, drain all the liquid out and chop if needed

*combine all the ingredient in a bowl, cover and chill if not using immediately

*depending on how big you want your tortellini then you will use more or less - use your judgement here. but i generally like to stuff as much as possible into each one.