Tordelli, pasta with a meat-based filling served with a meat-based sauce, are a specialty of the Garfagnana, the mountainous region north of Lucca, and almost every family adds its personal touch to the recipe, As one might expect, Massa, which is on the Tuscan coast just to the west of the Garfagnana region, also has tordelli. With respect to the Garfagnana's tordelli, Massa's tordelli have slightly more greens, and also include a chopped porcino mushroom.
Prep Time: 1 hour, 0 minute
Cook Time: 2 hours, 0 minute
Ingredients:
- For the Pasta
- 2 1/4 pounds (1 k) unbleached flour
- 4 eggs
- A pinch of salt
- The warm water necessary to make a firm dough
- Note: you could also buy 2 pounds freshly made pasta sheets
- For the Filling
- 2/3 pound (300 g) lean ground beef
- 1/4 pound (100 g) day-old Italian bread, crusts removed, thoroughly soaked in milk
- 1 1/8 pounds (500 g) beet greens without ribs, wilted in the water they were washed in, and minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- A small bunch parsley, minced
- A fresh porcino mushroom, wiped clean and minced, or 10 g dried porcini (about 1/4 packed cup), steeped in warm water for 10 minutes and then chopped (strain and reserve the liquid)
- 1 cup (50 g) freshly grated Parmigiano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A healthy pinch of nutmeg
- 3-4 eggs
- To Season the Tordelli
- 2 cups meat sauce, for example sugo alla Bolognese, a meaty tomato sauce, or the sauce made in the Garfagnana region
Preparation:
If you are making fresh pasta, do so following the instructions on the pasta page (the use of just 4 eggs and water denotes a certain frugality; a wealthier family would have used more eggs, though perhaps not the egg per 4/5 cup flour proportion traditionally used to make tagliatelle), but after making the filling, lest it harden as it sits.
To make the filling, heat a quarter cup of olive oil in a pot and cook the meat, seasoning it with salt and pepper; when it's almost completely browned add the chopped beet greens and mix thoroughly with a spoon. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add to it the grated cheese, finely chopped garlic, and parsley. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and crumble it into the bowl, together with the mushroom (if you are using dried mushrooms add some of the juice too, though you don't want to make the filling too liquid). Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Lightly beat three of the eggs and work them into the filling; if it looks too dry add the last as well.
Set abundant pasta water to boil and see about making the tordelli: roll your sheet out dime-thin and use a glass whose mouth is about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) in diameter to make rounds. Put a teaspoon of filling on the first round, cover it with the next, pressing down around the edges to make certain the pasta sticks, and continue making rounds until all is used up. Salt the pasta water and use a strainer to slip the tordelli into it (you may want to do them in batches). Once they return to the surface let them cook for a minute or two, and then transfer them to your serving dish with the strainer, spooning the sauce over them as you go.
Serve with more grated cheese for those who want it. The wine? Red and I might think about a Rosso delle Colline Lucchesi.
To make the filling, heat a quarter cup of olive oil in a pot and cook the meat, seasoning it with salt and pepper; when it's almost completely browned add the chopped beet greens and mix thoroughly with a spoon. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add to it the grated cheese, finely chopped garlic, and parsley. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and crumble it into the bowl, together with the mushroom (if you are using dried mushrooms add some of the juice too, though you don't want to make the filling too liquid). Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Lightly beat three of the eggs and work them into the filling; if it looks too dry add the last as well.
Set abundant pasta water to boil and see about making the tordelli: roll your sheet out dime-thin and use a glass whose mouth is about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) in diameter to make rounds. Put a teaspoon of filling on the first round, cover it with the next, pressing down around the edges to make certain the pasta sticks, and continue making rounds until all is used up. Salt the pasta water and use a strainer to slip the tordelli into it (you may want to do them in batches). Once they return to the surface let them cook for a minute or two, and then transfer them to your serving dish with the strainer, spooning the sauce over them as you go.
Serve with more grated cheese for those who want it. The wine? Red and I might think about a Rosso delle Colline Lucchesi.
