Ravioli with Ricotta and Spinach

Stuffed pastas appeared in Italian cookbooks by the 14th century — Boccaccio's Decameron (1353) describes the land of Bengodi, where on a mountain of grated Parmesan people make macaroni and ravioli, cook them in capon broth, and roll them down the slope (Day 8, Story 3). The ricotta-spinach pairing is Emilian and Tuscan farmhouse food: ricotta was the cheap whey byproduct of harder cheeses, spinach grew in winter gardens. In Tuscany the same filling stuffed into bigger triangles is called tordelli; cross the Apennines and it's ravioli.

Emilian magro («lean») filling — ricotta, blanched spinach, nutmeg, Parmigiano. Eaten on Fridays under Catholic abstinence rules. The pasta sheet should be thin enough to read newsprint through.

Square or half-moon parcels of yellow egg pasta, edges crimped, filled with pale green ricotta-spinach. The pasta should give under the tooth without snapping. Inside: fresh ricotta, wilted spinach squeezed nearly dry, a grating of nutmeg. Usually dressed in butter browned with sage leaves, parmesan over the top. If filling leaks at the seal, the dough was rolled too thick.