Doughs:
Fillings:
Sauces:
What they are
Tortellini’s origin story begins at an inn between Bologna and Modena, with the Roman gods Venus and Jupiter. Exhausted after battle, the two deities retire at the inn for the night. Venus arises the next morning to find herself alone and calls for the innkeeper. When he arrives, so awestruck is he by her naked beauty—particularly the shape of her belly button—that he returns to his kitchen and creates the first tortellino!
Like tagliatelle and Bolognese meat sauce, tortellini are particular, filled with particular ingredients and served in a particular way. They’re also so small that seven pieces can snuggle comfortably into the curve of a spoon. Today, the shape is made larger into tortelloni (and larger still into tortellacci), which are easier to make and far more flexible in their preparation. So, to keep things simple, these instructions are for tortelloni, but if you want to make tortellini, cut the dough into 1¼-inch (3-cm) squares, use pea-sized amounts of filling, and rope in your family and friends to help.
How they’re traditionally served
For tortelloni, with a variety of fillings and sauces; for tortellini, always filled with meat and usually served in broth, though sometimes with cream.
MAKE THE DOUGH AND FILLING
Make your dough and filling of choice. Let the dough rest, tightly covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes and let the filling chill as needed.
SET UP YOUR WORKSPACE
Dust a sheet pan with semolina or line it with a dishcloth. Gather your tools and set up your pasta machine.
SHEET AND CUT THE DOUGH
Roll a quarter of your pasta dough, stopping at twice through setting 6 for a Marcato or setting 7 for a KitchenAid machine.
Lay the pasta sheet horizontally on your work surface (if you’re using a countertop, dust it with some 00 or all-purpose flour first).
Cut the dough into 2½-inch (6-cm) squares with a bicycle pastry cutter or by hand. For the latter, fold the dough in half lengthwise and make a crease at the midpoint, then unfold it—you should be left with a faint line along the equator. Use a pasta wheel or sharp knife to cut along the crease. Then cut crosswise to create individual squares (just eyeball it).
FILL THE PASTA
Spoon or pipe 1 to 2 teaspoons filling in the center of a few pieces, leaving a generous border of dough around it. Cover the rest of the dough with a damp dishcloth or plastic wrap.
If the dough feels dry, mist it with a spray bottle or add a small amount of water with your finger to two adjoining edges of each square.
FOLD THE TORTELLONI
Fold each square into a triangle, pressing out the air around the filling as you do so. Once the filling is encased, press the edges firmly between your fingers once more to seal and thin out the dough.
Position one of the bottom corners of the triangle between your index finger and thumb so they echo its angle. Fold the sides inward like a book, meeting at the center, and pinch firmly so it looks like a little “tail” with a wrinkle at the base of the filling pocket. Repeat on the other side.
Use your thumb to create a gentle curve along the filling pocket, pushing the filling so it concentrates toward the triangle’s point. Then bring the two “tails” together, overlapping them a bit, and press firmly to flatten and seal.
Arrange the finished tortelloni in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
COOK THE PASTA
Cook the tortelloni in boiling water until tender, 2½ to 3 minutes.
