Tortelli with a bow. Chestnuts and sausage. It’s difficult to know how many shapes and fillings tortelli have; Italy is a country full of resources. I think of the tortelli with pumpkin, Mantua and Cremona with mustard, herbs and spinach in Emilia and Tuscany… In short, there is something for every taste. The tortelli with a tail, or rich in sapa. This time I made them with chestnuts and sausage. In truth, a humble dish, from when one could keep pigs, in my area due to swine fever, this tradition had to be given up. Who knows when we will be able to raise this important animal for family consumption again. Tortelli with a bow, a simple but rich dish. Full of aroma and softness. A creamy filling enclosed in rustic egg pasta. I combined different traditions, maybe because this combination reminds me of when sausage was prepared at home and the last dried chestnuts were cooked. I put them together and they were born: Tortelli with a bow, chestnuts, and sausage.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 2 Hours
- Portions: 130 tortelli
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
Semolina, eggs, chestnuts, and sausage! What a mix of flavors!
- 2.2 lbs remilled durum wheat semolina (Plus semolina for the work surface)
- 10 eggs
- 32 oz sausage
- 7 oz chestnuts, boiled (And mashed)
- 18 oz potatoes
- to taste salt
- to taste olive oil
Useful Tools
Bowl for the filling, bowl or stand mixer for the pasta, pasta cutting wheel, pot for the sausage, pot for the pasta.
- Bowls
- Pots
- Stand Mixers
- Cutting Wheels
Steps
-
Brown the skinned sausage in a little oil. Crumble well or use a mixer. In a bowl, combine the still-hot potatoes, passed through a food mill, the chestnut puree, and season with salt.
Mix carefully and let the mixture cool, which will also become a little firmer.
In the meantime, knead the semolina with the eggs until you get a smooth dough.
With the help of a pasta machine or a rolling pin, depending on your choice, roll out the dough and cut squares approximately 2-3 inches on each side, which you will fold in half to form the tortello shape.
The two opposite corners will form the bow after closing by pressing in the center to seal. The steps are shown in the video. Continue until all ingredients are used up.
Cook in boiling water for about 6 minutes; it depends on personal taste.
A few more tips
The tortelli in the photo were seasoned with cooked must and parmesan; they are also excellent with roast sauce, cheese fondue, butter, sage, and parmesan flakes.
You can also prepare the tortelli in advance and then freeze them; when it’s time to cook, it will take a little longer.
