Today’s recipe, Tortelli with tail (turtèi cun la cùa), one of our favorites, is a typical dish from Piacenza. If you couldn’t tell, we are from Piacenza (Emilia Romagna), an ancient recipe dating back to the Middle Ages, specifically 1351, invented by the cooks of Vigolzone castle in honor of Francesco Petrarca. Passed down from generation to generation, it’s delicious and made with few ingredients, which is why they must be of excellent quality.

This dish of tortelli with tail (turtèi) and its preparation holds many memories of our childhood. It’s a comfort, it’s family… The preparation consists of a thin sheet of handmade pasta, enclosing a filling of ricotta, spinach and Grana Padano.

The pasta is closed with a unique twist, creating almost a candy-like shape, which is its peculiarity. Beautiful and delicious, they are dressed with simple butter and sage, a sprinkle of Parmesan, you won’t leave them behind…

Here are some more delicious recipes from Piacenza:

Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Medium
Rest time: 20 Minutes
Preparation time: 1 Hour 30 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 with Tail (turtei cun la cùa)

3 1/4 cups All-purpose flour
4 Eggs
as needed Water
1 pinch Salt
1 tbsp Olive oil
10 1/2 oz Spinach
14 oz Ricotta
2 3/4 oz Grana Padano DOP
1 Egg
as needed Salt
as needed Nutmeg

Tools

Bowl Ceramic Salad Bowl – 1700ML Colorful Porcelain Bowl for Salad | Soup | Ramen | Noodle | Pasta | Fruit Salad – Set of 3
Pot Lagostina Red Line Multi-cooker Pot with Double Steamer and Glass Lid, Ø 22 cm, 5 Liters, Induction Cooking Pot, Gas and Oven up to 428 °F, Non-slip Silicone Handles
Terracotta Pan Colì Maioliche e Terrecotte dal 1650 Brunella-Pan with Lid, 2 L, Terracotta, Brown, 20 cm
Pastry Board Pastry Board, Birch Wood Board 29.5×39 inches
Rolling Pin Home Rolling Pin, 80 cm, Wood, 4x4x80 cm

Preparation of Tortelli with Tail (turtèi)

Sift the flour and place it in a well on the pastry board, pour the slightly beaten eggs, salt to taste, and the salt. Mix the ingredients in the well with your fingertips, incorporate the flour by pushing it towards the center. Begin to knead the dough with the palm, moving 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 it out and cutting it. Prepare the thin sheet, cut into strips about 3 inches wide, and make many diamonds.
Put all the ingredients in the stand mixer’s bowl and mix with the flat beater for about 2 minutes at low speed. Remove the flat beater and attach the dough hook, restart the stand mixer 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 form a ball wrapped in cloth, let it rest for 30 minutes. After resting time, divide the dough into 4 parts, insert the pasta roller attachment into the machine, take a small piece of dough, flatten it with the rolling pin, then insert it into the pasta roller with the largest thickness setting. Continue by narrowing the pasta roller setting until you obtain a very thin sheet.
Cook the spinach, drain them, squeeze them, chop them with a knife. In a bowl, combine ricotta, egg, cheese, spinach, nutmeg, and salt. Form a homogeneous mixture
Place some filling on the sheet of pasta, cut into a diamond shape, place it on your left hand and with your right hand fold the pasta, closing the tortello to form a braid.
Here is the finished result
Boil the tortelli in salted boiling water. Drain and serve, sprinkling everything with melted butter and grated Grana cheese, and 2 sage leaves