L'Arte della Sfoglia, Part 2: Tortelloni

Once Ida and her assistant had enough sheeted pasta set aside for cutting into ribbons, it was time to make tortelloni. Ida mixes ricotta with parsley, salt, and nutmeg for the filling.

It’s worth noting that she does not add egg or parm.

Sfoglia is divided into fluted squares with a few zips of a wheeled pastry cutter. Ida portions the filling using two spoons, which is very home-style but surprisingly efficient.

(I’d have to use a portion scoop or pastry bag to achieve such speed and consistency.)

Meanwhile, the assistant seals and shapes the tortelloni.

He keeps up with her.

But barely.

As they work they cover unfilled pasta squares with plastic sheeting to keep them from drying out.

Before you know it, one sheet of sfoglia is transformed into tortelloni.

Then another.

And another.

The plump dumplings are arranged in rows on pasta screens.

And then placed into a drying cabinet.

Unbelievably, Claudio and Ida charge just €6 per portion for their hand-made tortelloni. That’s less than $7.50!

If you think tortelloni is labor-intensive, just wait until you see the tortellini production…

Previously: L'Arte della Sfoglia, Part 1: Mixing and Sheeting the Pasta.
Next up: L'Arte della Sfoglia, Part 3: Tortellini.