Our pals at Rio Vista Olives sent us the incredible oil that we cook with in this post. Like everything that we recommend on our blog, we use and love their products, and hope that you will too!
The Story
This week we’re throwing back to the 80s! This spinach and ricotta rotolo was something that my Mum used to cook up for special occasions, back when béchamel was big. Or so I’m told. I was more a concept than a thing at the time, and I’m not sure that béchamel ever actually went out of fashion anyway, so take that as you will.
This is a more involved, multi-process recipe than those we normally serve up, but if you’ve got the time and are after a bit of a treat, this is one for you.
The Pasta
This rotolo’s got it all. You fill it, roll it, wrap it, boil it; slice it, sauce it, bake it, eat it. At its heart though is the old familiar sheet of pasta with filling, and a creamy tomato sauce.
Once you’ve kneaded your dough and it’s happily resting, cook up that filling. Much like our anolini, simply roll the dough out into two thin sheets, and then spread the filling to evenly cover each. While you’re doing that, bring a big pot of water to the boil (this will be what you boil the wrapped rotolo in).
Starting at one narrow edge, roll each filled sheet up tightly, then place them in clean, non-fibrous, tea towels. Wrap them up like giant lollies, and tie closed as you would a big chunk of meat. Drop them in and boil them up!
Once cooked, remove and allow to cool. While you wait, heat the oven, and prepare the light tomato sauce and the béchamel. Remember to go slow with the béchamel, stirring constantly to avoid clumps. If you do clump it up though, don’t stress, you can always hit it with a stick blender after mixing it into the tomato sauce.
With the final creamy combined sauce prepared, slice the rotolo and layer it up in a baking dish. Standing the slices up on a slight angle will help cover them in sauce and give each a little bit of crispy browning when cooked. Then just stick it in the oven and hang around impatiently until the sauce starts to crack and brown.
This is a rich old dish, with a fair bit of work required, so while it might not be an every week kind of thing it’ll certainly live up to expectations for something special.
Enjoy, and happy Sunday,
– Al & Al.
Equipment
- Pasta roller and cutter (if not using a rolling pin and knife)
- Air tight container for resting
- Frypan
Ingredients
Pasta Dough
- 250 g 00 flour
- 70 g durum semolina flour
- 3 eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tsp olive oil extra virgin (we use Rio Vista Olives' Nothin' But Robust)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Pasta Filling
- 500 g fresh spinach washed
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 6 large slices prosciutto finely chopped
- 300 g fresh ricotta
- 100 g Romano cheese grated
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
Sugo
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil extra virgin (we use Rio Vista Olives' Nothin' But Robust)
- 1 onion very finely diced
- small handful basil leaves
- 1 bottle passata approximately 700ml
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- salt to taste
Béchamel
- 250 ml milk
- 30 g parmesan
- 25 g butter
- 20 g plain flour
- salt to taste
Instructions
Pasta
- Mix the flours and salt together and form them into a well. Then add the eggs, 3 egg yolks, and 1/2 tsp olive oil into the centre and use a fork or your hand to bring it together into a ball.
- Knead vigorously for 10 minutes, before transferring to an airtight container, and resting for 30 minutes away from heat or direct sunlight.
Filling
- Wilt the spinach in a medium heat frypan with only the water left from washing it; remove and finely chop.
- Sauté the onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat until pale, around 8 minutes, then add the prosciutto and cook on high for a further 3 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl to cool, before stirring in the spinach, ricotta, Romano, egg yolk, and nutmeg; season to taste.
Rotolo – Poaching
- Bring a large stock pot of lightly salted water (2/3 full) to the boil and preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Cut the dough in half, and roll it out into long sheets of about 15mm width and 1.5mm thickness. If using a pasta machine, turn each piece through the thickest setting a few times, folding over itself in between passes, before stepping through to a setting of 6.
- Spread the filling evenly over the pasta sheets, and then roll up by the short edges. Wrap each tightly in a tea towel or muslin cloth, tying with kitchen twine, and then poach for 20 minutes in the salted water. Remove and allow to cool.
Sugo
- Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and the onion into a cold frypan, on low-medium heat. Stir regularly, until the onion begins to sweat and turn translucent, approximately 10 minutes.
- Bruise the basil lightly, and add to the pan. Cook for a further minute, before adding the passata, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, until thickened, and then remove from the heat.
Béchamel
- Melt the butter on medium-high heat until it begins to foam, then stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually pour in the milk, whisking vigorously, and cook for a further 5 minutes, until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in 30g of parmesan. Salt to taste, and then stir into the sugo.
Rotolo – Baking
- Chop the cooled rotolo into slices of approximately 2cm thickness. Spoon a layer of sauce into the bottom of a baking dish, and then stand the rotolo slices up on an angle, dolloping the remaining sauce in between and on top. Bake for 20 minutes, until the sauce begins to crack and the pasta edges start to brown.
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What a beautiful and heartfelt story. The way you connect lemons with culture, family, friendship, and faith is truly touching. I love how a simple cloth with lemon prints can hold so many memories and emotions behind it. From hospitality and joy to healing and connection, this piece feels very personal and inspiring. It’s a lovely reminder that everyday items like fabric and color can carry deep meaning in our lives. Thank you for sharing such a thoughtful and comforting read. 🍋💛