Yield 8
The flavor of tortellini comes from a mixture of meats. Everyone has their own secret recipe, for both the filling and for the broth. This is the recipe that I learned from Marisa at Zoello Je Suis Hotel. It differs from traditional recipes in a few ways. Rather than use prosciutto, Marisa prefers culatello. And In addition to pork, she also uses a bit of beef as well as some sausage. Although she let me watch her make it, she refused to give me exact quantities. "I have to have some secrets!" she said.
This recipe is taken from my book Eating My Way Through Italy. If you'd like to know the full story Marisa, whose recipe this is, see chapter four
Place the cut up meat and sausage in a pan and cook until done and well browned. According to Marisa, the meat should 'sing' and that's when you know it's done. Let the meat cool off completely, then put it in a food processor or grinder with the mortadella, culatello. Process until completely blended. Add the cheese and mix well, along with the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Let cool, and refrigerate over night.
Mix the eggs and the flour together, and knead until the dough is silky and smooth. Let rest, wrapped in plastic, for an hour. When ready to form tortellini roll out the dough with a rolling pin or pasta machine to the finest setting.
Using a knife cut the dough into 3-4 centimeter squares. Using your fingers, place a tiny bit of filling in the center of the square. Close the square to make a triangle, making sure the edges are well sealed. Then, using your little finger in the center, bring the two lateral corners to meet up, pinching them together, while leaving space in the middle where your finger was, forming a little navel shaped pasta. Repeat a million times until you've used up all the pasta and filling.
To serve, cook in drained broth, for about 4 minutes. Serve with abundant grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Recipe by Elizabeth Minchilli at https://www.elizabethminchilli.com/2021/01/tortellini-in-brodo/