Posted on 10/25/2016
Tortellini in beef broth and a glass of Corvo Rosso… A dish from Emilia Romagna that evokes the warm feeling of home, and a wine that has made Italian family meals unique for over two hundred years. For a perfect winter’s day spent cooking and eating with loved ones.
To serve 6:
– 400 gr 00 flour
– 5 eggs
– 70 gr minced veal
– 70 gr pork loin
– 70 gr mortadella
– Salt and pepper
– 150 gr grated Parmesan cheese
– Extra virgin olive oil
– Nutmeg
For the beef broth:
– 400 gr thick flank
– Celery, carrots, one white onion
– Cooking salt
Step 1 – The broth. Trim the vegetables and meat, taking care to remove any splinters of bone from the meat. Put everything in a large pan of salted water, bring to the boil and simmer with the lid on for at least 3 hours. Every now and then use a slotted spoon to skim off the scum and fat that rises to the surface.
Step 2 – The pasta. Place the flour in a mound on the work surface and make a large well in the middle. Crack 4 whole eggs into it and add a pinch of salt. Break up the eggs with a fork, then using the tips of your fingers, mix the eggs with the flour, incorporating a little at a time, then knead until everything is combined into a soft, smooth lump of dough. Shape it into a ball, cover with cling film and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Step 3 – The filling. Chop the pork into small pieces and sauté it together with the veal in a pan with a drizzle of oil until cooked. Drain off the oil, let the meat cool and put it into a food processor with the mortadella, or raw ham if you prefer, a pinch of ground nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, an egg and the grated parmesan cheese. Blend everything to a smooth consistency.
Step 4 – When the filling is ready, roll out the pasta with a machine or a rolling pin (for the super experts!) to a thickness of about 0.6 mm. It is very important not to let the pasta dry out, so use as little flour as possible and work quickly. Cut the rolled out pasta sheet into 4 cm squares with a pasta wheel.
Step 5 – Place half a teaspoon of filling in the middle of each square of pasta. To form the tortellini, wet your finger and run it along two edges of the square. Fold the square into a triangle, pressing the top together and then working your way along the sides. Draw the bottom two corners of the triangle together to form a kerchief shape. Press tightly to seal then gently place on well-floured tea-towel and leave to rest in a cool place. The tortellini are then cooked in the beef broth and served hot. The secret to making perfect, traditional tortellini is to work quickly so the pasta does not dry out, so the best way to make them is to rope friends and family in to help, and then of course, enjoy them all together!
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