Piacenza tortelli

Here's how to prepare the little-known Piacenza tortelli with tail filled with ricotta and spinach and served with butter and sage.

The history of Piacenza tortelli is quite compelling. It seems that they were prepared for the first time in honor of the poet Francesco Petrarca by his friend Bernardino Anguissola, lord of a fiefdom in the Piacenza area. He commissioned his chef to create a new recipe, capable of surprising his guest. Thus the Piacenza tortelli with tail were born, a curious name that indicates the shape of an elongated ear of this stuffed pasta.

The tortelli with tail have a lean filling made with ricotta and spinach and are served as often happens in these cases with butter and sage. Preparing them requires a minimum of manual skill but you will see that, once the first three-four are removed, they will be beautiful as well as delicious.

How to prepare the Piacenza tortelli recipe

1. First prepare the egg pasta . Place the flour in a mound on the pastry board or, for convenience, in a bowl. Break the eggs in the center and start incorporating the flour little at a time using a fork.
2. As soon as the dough begins to take consistency, transfer it to the pastry board and knead it for 10 minutes until you obtain a smooth dough. Leave it to rest under the bowl upside down for at least 30 minutes .
3. In the meantime, sauté the washed spinach in a pan with the lid for about a couple of minutes. There is no need to add water.
4. Once tender, squeeze them and chop them with a knife. Add them to the ricotta, flavor with parmesan, salt and nutmeg.
5. Now roll out the pastry as thin as possible, with the machine or by hand, and cut out 7cm squares . Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each one then close: first a corner of the square folded about a centimeter towards the center and then the two inclined sides that form must be closed to form the characteristic ear .
6. Once ready, boil them in plenty of salted water for 5 minutes.
7. Melt the butter with the washed sage in a pan and, as they are ready, drain them directly into the pan. Serve hot, finishing with a sprinkling of parmesan if desired.

If you don't have great manual skills you can prepare the more classic ricotta and spinach ravioli . They are equally good and you will look great having made them with your own hands.

storage

Tortelli Piacentini will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator , closed in an airtight container. Heat the pan, adding a little oil or butter if needed. While still raw, they can be frozen for up to 2 months .