Tortellini

Here is the traditional recipe for Modenese tortellini:

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 100 g of pork loin
• 100 g of raw ham
• 100 g of mortadella
• 150 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• Nutmeg
• Salt and pepper

For the pasta:

• 400 g of flour
• 4 eggs

Preparation

1. First, prepare the filling: cook the pork loin in a little butter until golden brown. Once cooked, finely chop it together with the raw ham and mortadella.

2. Add the grated Parmesan cheese, the egg, a grating of nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste. Knead until you get a homogeneous mixture. Let the filling rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

3. For the pasta, place the flour in a mound on a pastry board, break the eggs in the middle, and start kneading until the dough is elastic and smooth. Let the dough rest covered with a clean cloth for about 30 minutes.

4. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin or pasta machine until you get thin sheets.

5. Cut squares of about 3x3 cm from the sheets. Place a small amount of filling in the center of each square.

6. Fold each square of pasta in half, forming a triangle, then join the two corners at the base of the triangle and press lightly to form the tortellino.

7. Cook the tortellini in plenty of boiling salted water for about 2-3 minutes or until they float to the surface.

8. Serve the tortellini with a dollop of melted butter and a sprinkle of Parmesan, or in meat broth, according to tradition.

Trivia

The tortellino has an ancient and noble history, and legend has it that its shape was inspired by the navel of Venus, the goddess of beauty and love. Every year, in the city of Modena, the “Festival of Tortellino” is celebrated in honor of this treasure of Italian gastronomy.