Today’s recipe, Tortelli con la coda piacentini (turtèi cun la cúa), one of our favorites, is a typical dish from Piacenza (Emilia Romagna). This ancient recipe dates back to the Middle Ages, to 1351 to be precise, invented by the cooks of Vigolzone Castle in honor of Francesco Petrarca. Passed down from generation to generation, it’s delicious and made with just a few ingredients, so they must be of excellent quality.

This dish of tortelli with a tail (turtèi) and its preparation are tied to so many childhood memories for us — it’s a certainty, it’s family… The preparation consists of a thin sheet of handmade pasta that encloses a filling of ricotta, spinach and Grana Padano.

The pasta is closed with a particular braid, creating almost a candy-like shape, and that’s its peculiarity. Beautiful and delicious, they are dressed simply with butter and sage, a sprinkle of Parmesan — you won’t leave them behind…

Below are other delightful first-course recipes from Piacenza:

Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Moderate
Rest time: 20 Minutes
Preparation time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Cooking time: 10 Minutes
Portions: 4
Cooking methods: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

452.92 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 452.92 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 52.44 (g) of which sugars 1.55 (g)
Proteins 26.02 (g)
Fat 16.83 (g) of which saturated 9.00 (g)of which unsaturated 6.88 (g)
Fibers 2.64 (g)
Sodium 576.34 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 202 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients for Tortelli con la coda piacentini (turtèi cun la cúa)

3 1/4 cups 00 Flour
4 Eggs
as needed Water
1 pinch Salt
1 tablespoon Olive oil
10 cups (raw) Spinach
1 2/3 cups Ricotta
3/4 cup (grated) Grana Padano DOP
1 Egg
to taste Salt
to taste Nutmeg

Tools

Bowl Ceramic Salad Bowl – Porcelain Bowls 1700ML – Large Colored Bowl for Salad | Soup | Ramen | Noodles | Pasta | Fruit Salad | Soup – Set of 3
Pot Lagostina Red Line Multi-cooking Pot with Double Cooking Basket and Glass Lid, Ø 8.7 in, 5 Liters, Induction, Gas and Oven up to 428 °F, Non-slip Silicone Handles
Terracotta pan Colì Maioliche and Terrecotte since 1650 Brunella – Casserole with Lid, 2 L, Terracotta, Brown, 7.9 in
Work surface Pastry board, birch wood board 29.5 x 39.4 in
Rolling pin Home Rolling Pin, 31.5 in, Wood, 1.6 x 1.6 x 31.5 in

Preparation of Tortelli con la coda piacentini (turtèi)

Sift the flour and arrange it in a well on the pastry board. Pour in the lightly beaten eggs and the pinch of salt. Mix the ingredients in the well with your fingertips, incorporating the flour by pushing it toward the center. Begin to stretch the dough with the heel of your hand, pulling it away from you while holding it with the other hand. Continue until the dough is soft and elastic, about 10–15 minutes. Let the dough rest, wrapped in a cloth, for one hour before rolling and cutting. Prepare a thin sheet, divide into strips about 3 in (8 cm) wide and cut them into many diamonds.
Put all the ingredients in the bowl of the stand mixer and mix with the paddle attachment for about 2 minutes on low speed. Remove the paddle and insert the dough hook, turn the mixer back on and knead for 5 minutes. You should obtain a compact, soft and non-sticky dough. Turn off the machine, remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a ball; wrap it in a cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes. After resting, divide the dough into 4 pieces, attach the pasta roller to the machine, take a small piece of dough, flatten it with the rolling pin and feed it into the roller at the widest setting. Continue decreasing the thickness setting until you obtain a very thin sheet.
Cook the spinach, drain and squeeze out the excess water, then chop with a knife. In a bowl combine the ricotta, egg, cheese, spinach, nutmeg and salt. Mix until you obtain a homogeneous filling.
Place a little filling on each diamond of pasta, rest it on your left hand and fold the dough with your right hand, closing the tortello to form a braid.
Here is the finished result
Cook the tortelli in boiling salted water. Drain and serve, sprinkling with melted butter and grated Grana Padano, and 2 sage leaves.