Homemade tortellini

This is not for those who are in a hurry or want to prepare a quick meal. This recipe is for those who want to taste the real flavor of home made pasta and, to say the truth, for those who want to spend few hours cooking.

Italians are used to eat tortellini “in brodo” (with broth), but you can also choose to boil, drain and season them with some melted butter and sage or with a delicate tomato sauce.

To make the pasta that wraps your meat filling, you need to follow the instruction and prepare your home made fresh pasta according to the direction in the specific post.
For 4 servings you will need 3eggs and 300gr flour.
This is not the original Tortellini alla Bolgonese recipe, it’s a little lighter in the filling but works perfectly with all seasoning. 

TIP: you can prepare more tortellini and froze them. They will keep for up to 4 months.

Ingredients

  • 3eggs
  • 300gr durum wheat flour
  • 20gr Italian or Spanish prosciutto
  • 100gr minced pork
  • 50gr parmigiano
  • 1 italian sausage
  • salt and pepper

For the chicken broth:

  • Chicken bones
  • 2 cloves
  • 3 cardamom seeds
  • 1 potato
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 stalk cellery
  • 1 onion

Method

Step 1
Start with making the broth: in a large pot put all the ingredients for the broth, turn the heat on and bring it to a boil. Skim the scum and reduce the hit. Simmer for at least 2 and a half hours. TIP: if you want a richer broth you can brown the chicken bones in the oven with a little oil for 30 minutes, then prepare the broth.

Step 2
Prepare the pasta following the recipe on How to make home made pasta using the three eggs instead of four.

Step 3
Now prepare the filling: In a food processor put the prosciutto, minced pork, parmigiano, sausage a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Turn the processor on and mix evenly. You can add muscat if you like.

Step 4
Flatten the dough (2mm) and cut it into 4/5cm squares. The smaller the squares, the hardest is to seal the pasta, so if you’re not expert you may want to cut larger squares in order to prepare bigger tortellini. As you get used to the preparation you can make them smaller. Experienced tortellini maker in Bologna cut it into 2cm squares!

Step 5
HOW TO CLOSE TORTELLINI: Pour half tsp of filling onto each square, lightly wet the sides to close them properly. Take the square of pasta with the fillin on one hand. Fold it to make a triangle. Push the sides to seal them. Now seal together the two angles on the base of the triangle, keeping your finger inside to create the hole.

Step 6
When the broth is ready, pour it into a smaller pan, using a sieve to remove the seasoning and the veggies. (don’t discard them! you can use it to prepare a light veggies veloutè, with some crunchy bacon on it, or parmigiano or whatever you like) Bring the broth to a boil and cook the tortellini for 3 to 5 minutes. Serve hot.

You might also be interested in....