Nettle Tortelloni with Asparagus: A Recipe Straight from an Italian Nonna’s Kitchen

Step into the heart of Italy and cook alongside a real Italian nonna. These legendary grandmothers have perfected delicious, traditional cooking that goes beyond just pasta and ensures a healthy and happy life.

Vicky Bennison, creator of the hit YouTube channel Pasta Grannies, has spent years capturing the stories and recipes of these remarkable women. In this mouth-watering collection, the nonnas invite you to discover the secrets of their flavoursome cooking and kitchen wisdom – part of their recipe for the good life.

From the rolling hills of Tuscany to the sun-drenched coast of Sicily, this feast of homemade recipes brings together over 70 of the best regional dishes. Every plate is simple yet bursting with old, seasonal ingredients – fresh vegetables, hearty pulses, fish, meat, pizza, pies and, of course, a generous helping of pasta.

The time of year in early spring when the countryside starts to smoke gently with white blossom, tells you it is also nettle-picking season. The leaves are young and sprightly without the toughness which develops later in the season. Mirella’s top tip for picking them is to turn them upside down and leave them overnight and in the morning they will have lost their sting. Mirella is a busy fruit farmer from Emilia, who specialises in growing delicious cherries called Moretta di Vignola. No matter how busy she gets, she still finds time to indulge in her love of making fresh pasta. She particularly enjoys making the most of nettles, creating green flecked tortelloni filled with rich ricotta and dressed with seasonal asparagus. “Who has the time to make a ragù in the middle of the week?” Mirella says with a smile, referring to her traditional sauce that simmers for four hours. If nettles are hard to come by, use frozen spinach, defrosted, squeezed very dry and finely chopped.

Mirella’s Tortelloni di ortiche
 
Nettle Tortelloni with Asparagus 

Serves 4

For the pasta

1¾oz (50g) nettles (or use frozen spinach—squeezed dry weight)
4 eggs
3¾ cups (1lb 2oz/500g)
00 flour (tipo 00)

For the filling

10½oz (300g) ricotta
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2½oz (75g) Parmigiano Reggiano (aged 24 months or older), grated, plus extra to serve
A grating of nutmeg, to taste
Dried breadcrumbs, as needed if the filling is too wet
Sea salt

To serve

1lb 2oz (500g) fresh asparagus (about 2 bundles), trimmed
1oz (25g) pancetta, thinly sliced
Olive oil, for cooking
2 tablespoons (1oz/30g) unsalted butter
Black pepper

First, prepare the nettle purée if you are using fresh nettles. Remove the stalks and rinse the leaves well. Blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes, then squeeze dry and let cool before puréeing them in a food processor. The final weight should be around 1¾oz (50g). Combine the purée with the eggs and beat everything together—the weight should be about 9¾oz (275g).

For the pasta dough, mound the flour on a clean work surface and form a well in the center. Pour in the egg–nettle mixture. Gradually incorporate the flour to form a dough, then knead for about 10 minutes until you have a smooth, elastic dough with a light green, flecked appearance. Cover and let rest for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Drain the ricotta thoroughly. In a bowl, combine the drained ricotta, chopped parsley, grated Parmigiano Reggiano, and several scrapes of nutmeg, and season with salt. Mix well. If the mixture seems too wet, add a few breadcrumbs to absorb the excess moisture.

Cook the asparagus in simmering water until tender. Drain and cut into small pieces. In a skillet (frying pan), cook the pancetta in a little olive oil until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. In another pan, gently sauté the asparagus pieces in butter, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Roll out the rested dough using a long mattarello (rolling pin), turning it regularly to maintain an even thickness. Nettle dough is more fragile than regular pasta dough, so don’t roll it too thinly. Cut the dough into 3¼ inch (8cm) squares. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each square. Fold the square into a triangle over the filling, press the edges to seal, then wrap the two bottom corners around your finger and pinch them together to form the tortelloni shape. Bring a large pan of salted water to a simmer. Cook the tortelloni for about  4 minutes, until they float and are tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked tortelloni to the pan with the buttered asparagus and gently toss to coat.

Serve immediately, scattered with the crispy pancetta and additional grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

This is a recipe extract from Pasta Grannies Eat Everything by Vicky Bennison published by Harper By Design. Available now in store and online.