Email to Buny      

Tortellini: Pasticcio di Tortellini all'Emiliana

Source of Recipe

posted by gijane to recipecircus


Recipe Introduction

"This is a classic recipe, which follows the Renaissance tradition of combining sweet (the crust) and salty (the filling). The tortellini should be a little al dente when the dish is done; this means you will want to cook them until they are just shy of done before putting them in the pie. And the filling as a whole should be moist. If you have leftovers heat them over a double boiler."

List of Ingredients

For the tortellini
3 ounces lean pork loin
2 ounces turkey breast
3 ounces mortadella di bologna (get this from a delicatessen)
3 ounces prosciutto
2 1/4 cups grated Parmigiano
1 tablespoon butter
2 eggs
A pinch of grated nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste
1 pound fresh pasta (you can use store-bought if need be)
1 pint good meat broth

For the Sauce
3 ounces pancetta
1 small onion
1 medium-sized carrot
An 8-inch rib of celery
1/4 pound ground beef
1/4 pound ground veal
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
5 tablespoons hot milk
3/4 cup hot broth
Salt & pepper to taste

For the Assembly
3 cups béchamel sauce
3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano
1 pound's worth of pie crust (you can use frozen pie crust if need be)
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
Butter for buttering the pie pan
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten


Recipe

Begin by preparing the filling of the tortellini. Dice the turkey and the loin, and brown them in the butter for about 15 minutes, stirring often. Let the mixture cook, then grind the cooked meats with the prosciutto and the mortadella. Lightly beat the eggs, and combine them with the ground meats, then work in the grated cheese, and season filling to taste with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.

For the pasta, follow the instructions for home-made pasta, using 4 cups flour, 3 eggs and 2 yolks, a pinch of salt, and, if need be, a spoonful of water, or buy several sheets of fresh store-made pasta. If you make the pasta at home, divide the dough into two pieces.

Roll one of the pieces out dime thin and cut it into 1 1/2 inch squares with a serrated pasta wheel. Put a 1/2 teaspoon of filling on each square and fold the squares diagonally to make triangles, tamping them well so the filling won’t come out while they’re cooking. Wrap each triangle around your little finger, giving it a half twist, and stick the opposing corners together to make the tortellini. Set the finished tortellini on to rest on a lightly floured surface. When you’re done with the first sheet, roll out the second and continue until the stuffing is used up.

Once you have made the tortellini prepare the sauce: Mince the onion, carrot, celery, and pancetta. Gently sauté the mixture in the butter, and when the onion has become a translucent gold, stir in the ground veal and beef. Continue gently sautéing until the meats have browned, then stir in the red wine and 1/4 cup of the hot broth. Simmer for 15 minutes, then stir in the remaining broth and continue simmering over a vary low flame until the liquid is almost all evaporated. Stir in the tomato paste and the hot milk, season the mixture to taste, cover it, and continue simmering until the milk has evaporated and the sauce is rich and thick.

In the meantime prepare the piecrust. While it is resting prepare the béchamel sauce, and bring the pint of broth to a boil; cook the tortellini in it and when they are just shy of being done let them cool. Divide the crust into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other, and roll out the larger one into a sheet large enough to line a lightly greased, bread-crumbed 10-inch pie pan with 2-inch high sides (you may want to use a spring-form cake pan here).

Preheat your oven to 360 F (180 C).

Cover the bottom of the piecrust with a first layer of tortellini, spoon some sauce and some béchamel over it, and also some grated Parmigiano. Continue layering and spooning until all is used up and the pie is filled. Roll out the smaller piece of piecrust and cover the pie with it, crimping it around the edges and making a couple of slits in the top to allow vapor to escape. Brush the crust with the beaten yolk and bake the pasticcio for about 40 minutes. When it's done transfer it to a serving dish and let it cool a little before you serve it.