Dough Ingredients: 

6 Egg Yolks

1/2 cup Water

1 lb. Semolina

Cheese Filling: 

16 oz Ricotta

8oz Shredded Mozzarella

4oz Grated Parmesan

Salt and Pepper to taste

Tortellini, oh how I love thee.

Let me just start by saying, these are easier than they look. Promise. The dough is 3 ingredients, the filling a few more than that, the possibilities for eating these ravioli, endless.

For the dough: We are not going to get too much into pasta dough making today in the effort to not over complicate what we are trying to do here. Put the yolks in a bowl with the water, add the semolina one handful at a time and start whisking together. A whisk is a good tool here because it will help incorporate the flour quickly and evenly. Another option here would be to use a paddle attachment on a mixer. Keep adding flour until it starts to become shaggy, at this point turn out onto a floured table to start kneading. This should be a pretty dry dough so if you need to add reserved flour, do so. Once it comes together into a firm but smooth ball, kneed for another 3 minutes. Rub with a touch of olive oil and wrap in plastic wrap and put in fridge to rest for at least an hour but can store for up to one week.

For the filling: Mix all cheese ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste. Put into a piping bag (or a gallon size freezer bag) to be ready for the assembly.

To Assemble: Take dough out of fridge and cut off a small chunk. Because this is a “rustic” type of pasta it can be done whether or not you have pasta equipment.

1. If you have a pasta roller attachment for your mixer or a table top variety: Flatten with hands until it will fit between the rollers on the largest setting. Put through the machine dialing down the size setting each time until you are at setting 4. You don’t want to go too thin for this pasta because it needs to be sturdy enough to pinch and hold the cheese filling. We like this one Pasta Maker Machine Hand Crank – Stainless Steel Roller Cutter Manual Noodle Makers Making Tools Rolling Press Kit Kitchen Accessories Best for Homemade Noodles Spaghetti Fresh Dough
2. If you do not have a pasta roller, you can use a rolling pin or or any solid, clean, cylindrical object (wine bottles work well and then you can have wine with your pasta when you are finished cooking) roll it into a long sheet that is thin enough to just see your hand through it. 
3. Once you have a strip of dough, cut into squares. The size here really depends on how big you want the finished tortellini, we usually go for 3in squares to start.
4. Pipe filling into little balls in the centers of each square. Go for a smaller amount until you get the feel of how to form the pasta. If you have too much down then it makes it challenging to close properly and then they will blow out when you boil them.
5. To form the pasta, fold one corner to the opposite corner to create a triangle. Press down around the edges to seal. then take the two side corners, pull them behind the center opposite the point of the triangle and press together. This will naturally create the traditional Pope Hat shape. Put on a sheet tray that has been dusted with semolina flour so that they don’t stick.
6. Repeat the process until you are through with your dough, or filling, or both. At this point you can boil them, freeze them, or leave on the tray in the fridge until ready to cook.
7. To cook, drop in heavily salted simmering water and let cook until they are tender. This takes about 3-5 minutes. You will know they are done when they float but be sure to taste one to check their doneness.

Tortellini Soup: Warm up some stock add in some greens, mushrooms, sliced garlic. Add in cooked tortellini and serve.

Tortellini with Red Sauce: Take your favorite marinara and warm in a skillet. Add in cooked tortellini and toss in marinara to coat. Serve with a pile of parm on top.

Tortellini in Burre Fondue: Take some stock and cook it down to reduce by about 3/4 (until it is a thick glaze) add in a few knobs of butter, chopped herbs like chives, thyme and parsley. Toss your cooked Tortellini in the glaze and finish with a little salt and fresh cracked pepper.