Doughs:
- Standard Egg Dough
- Almost All-Yolk Dough
- Whole Wheat Egg Dough
- Parsley-Speckled Dough
- Black Pepper Dough
- Colorful Egg Dough
Sauces:
What they are
“Little surprises” and a cheeky joke made by women of centuries past. Remember the story about strozzapreti, and how farmers would, begrudgingly, pay their local priests in pasta? Well, it’s said that those priests had a penchant for inviting themselves over to the farmers’ homes for Sunday lunch. The priests were known to love cappelletti, a meat- or cheese-filled pasta usually served in broth, and, on Sundays, they came to expect it. But the farmers’ wives, with limited financial means, had other plans: They made sorpresine instead, which looked just like cappelletti on the outside but—surprise!—not a bit of filling to be found. This story always makes me laugh as I picture a dumbfounded priest, spoon mid-air, chewing slowly and unwilling to admit his defeat. You’ll also see these called tortellini bugiardi (“lying tortellini”) and igannapreti (“priest foolers”).
How they’re traditionally served
In broths and other soups, and with tomato sauces.
MAKE THE DOUGH
Make your dough of choice and let it rest, tightly covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes.
SET UP YOUR WORKSPACE
Dust a sheet pan with semolina or line it with a dry dishcloth. Gather your tools and set up your pasta machine.
SHEET THE DOUGH
Roll a quarter of your pasta dough into a sheet, stopping at setting 7 for a Marcato or twice through setting 7 for a KitchenAid machine.
CUT THE SHEET INTO SQUARES
Cut the sheet into 1¼-inch to 1½-inch (3- to 4-cm) squares, either with a bicycle pastry cutter or by hand.
To cut the squares by hand: Position the pasta sheet horizontally on your work surface. Trim a thin strip of dough, about ¼ inch (6 mm) from the top and bottom (longer) edges so the sheet is a little narrower. Fold the pasta into thirds like a letter, first folding the bottom third upward about halfway and making a crease, then folding the top edge downward to meet the bottom and making another crease. Unfold the pasta sheet and cut along the creases—you should have three rows. Cut the rows into squares (just eyeball it).
Save any scraps for soups or a snack, or ball them up and cover them so they can be reused at the end.
MAKE THE SORPRESINE
Cover any squares you’re not using with a damp dishcloth or plastic wrap. Hold a square in one hand like a diamond. Bring the bottom point up to meet the top, forming an open triangle, almost like a hammock. Pinch the points together firmly to seal. Flip the triangle over so the sealed point is facing downward. Then bring the remaining two points together at the top and pinch to seal.
Arrange the finished sorpresine in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining squares, and then the remaining dough.
COOK THE PASTA
Cook the sorpresine until tender, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness and drying time.
