Reading this article you may wonder what balanzoni are and what green balanzoni with mortadella are.
IF YOU WANT TO LISTEN TO ME WHILE I PREPARE THE RECIPE
The balanzoni are a typical Bolognese filled fresh pasta named after the well-known mask of Doctor Balanzone. They are also called tortelli matti or Carnival tortelli because they were eaten during Carnival.
How are balanzoni made?
To make the classic recipe of green balanzoni with mortadella you should close them as you do tortellini and not as I do for Romagna cappelletti – you can follow the tortellini procedure HERE.
The balanzoni are therefore a filled fresh pasta in which the dough is prepared by replacing part of the eggs with boiled, well-drained spinach.
How are balanzoni dressed?
The classic and recommended dressing for balanzoni is butter and sage but you can also consider other dressings such as balanzoni with mascarpone and sausage, balanzoni with a Parmesan cream and even more indulgent if enriched with speck or ham.
It’s a pasta I made in a cooking class during the Cibò So Good event in Bologna at Palazzo Re Enzo and then we brought it home for a tasting.
I also have a free WhatsApp channel with one sweet and one savory recipe a day: click and subscribe → https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaHbGIn9cDDig7Cw2x0F
GREEN BALANZONI WITH MORTADELLA
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Day 6 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 SERVINGS
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
For these balanzoni the course instructor suggested dressing them with only butter and sage but I, having a few small cubes of speck, wanted to add them in the pan… Was that a mistake, do you think????
- 2 1/3 cups flour
- 2 eggs (medium)
- 1 oz spinach (cooked, well-drained and chopped)
- to taste nutmeg
- 1 cup cow ricotta
- 6 1/2 oz Bologna mortadella
- 1 1/2 cups Parmigiano Reggiano PDO (grated)
- 2 eggs (medium)
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste speck
- as needed butter
- to taste sage
Tools
- Dough mats
Preparation
• For the dough make a well with the flour and mix in the spinach, the eggs and the nutmeg.
Make an elastic dough that, wrapped in plastic wrap, you will let rest for about half an hour.
• For the filling chop the mortadella and combine it with the ricotta, the cheese and the egg, seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Roll out the dough with a pasta machine or with a rolling pin and cut rather large squares of about 3 1/8–3 1/2 in per side.
I add the photos taken during the Cibò So Good event even if… they are horrifying!
• Place the filling on each balanzone, close it and continue until the mixture is finished.
• Boil the pasta in salted boiling water and drain it.
In a pan you will already have melted the browned butter, the small cubes of speck with a few fresh sage leaves.
Then add the green balanzoni with mortadella to the pan and sauté them for a few minutes, then plate.
Enjoy your green balanzoni with mortadella!
Annalisa
