Tortellini Handcrafted at Home
- johncrallie
- Dec 4, 2020
- 3 min read
Tortellini are ring-shaped pasta originally from the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna (in particular Bologna and Modena). Traditionally they are stuffed with a mix of meat (pork loin, raw prosciutto, mortadella), Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, egg, and nutmeg and served in broth.
While in the area of origin they are usually sold fresh or home-made, industrially packed, dried, and refrigerated or frozen tortellini appear in many locations around the world.
The origin of tortellini is disputed; both Bologna and Modena, cities in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, claim to be its birthplace. the etymology of tortellini comes from the diminutive form of tortello, itself a diminutive of torta ("cake" or "pie" in Italian).
In the 1800s, legends sprang up to explain the recipe's origins. Castelfranco Emilia, located between Bologna and Modena, is featured in one legend. The legend claims that Tortellini was inspired by the goddess Venus' navel. An Italian medieval legend tells how Venus and Zeus, weary one night after their involvement in a battle between Bologna and Modena, arrive at a tavern in a small town on the outskirts of Bologna. After eating a hearty dinner and becoming slightly drunk, they decide to share a bedroom. The innkeeper, captivated by them, creeps to their room and peeks through the keyhole of the bedroom door. However, all he can see through the keyhole is the naval of Venus. This vision leaves him spellbound – so much so that he immediately rushes to the kitchen and creates a pasta inspired by Venus' navel…and so was born the Tortellini. This legend would be the origin of the term "ombelico di Venere" (Venus' navel), occasionally used to describe tortellini. In honor of this legend, an annual festival is held in Castelfranco Emilia.
Tortelloni are pasta in a similar shape, but larger, typically 5 g, vs. 2 g for tortellini, and with the corners closed differently. While tortellini have a meat-based filling, tortelloni are filled with ricotta and sometimes with parsley or spinach. Moreover, while tortellini are traditionally cooked in and served with broth, tortelloni are cooked in water, stir-fried (traditionally with butter and sage), and served in the pan sauce.
A traditional dish of Tortellini in Brodo is served in many households of northern Italy on Christmas Eve after returning home from a midnight mass.
I filled my tortellini with a mixture of:
2 cups cooked Italian sausage
1 cup diced Proscuitto
1/2 cup diced mortadella
2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 large pinch of grated nutmeg
2 medium-sized eggs
I pulsed all the ingredients in a food processor until I reached the desired texture. Be careful not to over grind the filling. You will want it to maintain some texture.
For the pasta dough:
350 grams of double zero flour
350 grams of semolina flour
7 medium to large eggs
Pile the flour on a good-sized work surface and form a well in the middle of the flour.
place the 7 eggs in the center of the well.
Use your fingers to mix the eggs into the flour a little at a time being careful not to break the well.
Knead everything together until you have a smooth pliable ball of dough.
Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
After the first 20 minutes have passed need the dough again, return it to the plastic wrap a second time, and allow it to rest for another 20 minutes.
You are now ready to start rolling out the dough.
For an instructional video on making the pasta dough, rolling out the dough, and filling and folding the tortellini follow the link to my youtube channel.
I hope you have a chance to view the instructional video. This meal will be a fantastic addition to your Christmas meal. I prefer to serve them a robustly flavored beef bone broth that I make in a slow cooker a day or two before.
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Alla prossima!
Buon Cibo e Buon Appetito!
Chef John
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