Tortelli Caramelle for Columbus Day

The second Monday in October? Hint – the children’s ditty:

“In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue… “

Bravo! You got it. It’s Columbus Day. On this day Cristoforo Colombo or as we know him Christopher Columbus, intrepid explorer and navigator, arrived in the New World, and the Whole World changed forever. There were other momentous goings on that year – the demise of Lorenzo the Magnificent (Lorenzo de Medici, 1449-1492) for one, but today the subject is the gentleman from Genoa, not the nobleman from Florence. The historic arrival date is October 12, 1492, and Columbus Day is a very big deal in the Italian-American community. They stage living tableaux, parties and parades. Schools are closed. Italian flags are flown with pride as Italian-Americans joyously claim their heritage.

Three ships made the voyage, Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. The Santa Maria was the flagship, and while all the ships carried provisions, one thing is certain – none carried anything like today’s celebratory offering, Tortelli Caramelle – a rich egg pasta stuffed with cheese and prosciutto, napped with a marinara sauce and garnished with fresh basil. This red white and green dish is designed to match the Italian flag and honor the day.

Tortelli Caramelle

makes 22-25

This handmade pasta will get the dinner conversation going. It comes from Piacenza in the region of Emilia-Romagna. In dialect it is called Turtei cu la cua (Tortelli con la coda – tortelli with a tail.) It is also known as Sgiafalabar (Schiaffeggia labbra – because the tails of the pasta slap against your lips and the sides of your mouth as you eat them – only in Italy.) And finally it is also known as Caramelle, and here is why. Read on and learn how to make Caramelle.

The pasta is cut, filled and wrapped just like caramel candies. People will love it. To measure the pasta for cutting you can use a ruler.

Bart made a 4 ½ -inch X 5 ½- inch template using non-stick aluminum foil. It was fast and easy to use, and yielded uniform pieces of pasta. Clever guy.

This pasta is traditionally made with a rich egg dough and filled with wild greens. These days spinach is often used, but I opted for 3 cheeses, prosciutto and Italian parsley. Cooked gently, tossed in a knob of soft unsalted butter and napped with marinara sauce, these tortelli make a truly sumptuous main dish. I think they are shown to best advantage as a starter – two to a plate. But as I always say – it’s your dinner, have it as you please. Whether you eat two or ten, you’re going to enjoy these.

Filling

1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese, drained
6 ounces shredded fontina cheese
4 ounces chopped prosciutto
1/2 cup grated Grana Padano
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten

In a medium bowl combine ricotta, fontina, prosciutto, Grana Padano, parsley and pepper. Add lightly beaten egg and combine well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Pasta

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon semolina
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs

Method 1:
Mound flour and semolina on work surface, using a fork to combine. Make a fontana (well) in the center by hollowing out a spot about the size of an orange. Crack eggs into fontana. Add salt. Using a fork, agitate to mix. With each stroke of the fork, bring a bit of flour into the mix, being careful to maintain the integrity of the outer walls of the flour by moving your free hand around the outside and shoring up the sides until all the flour is mixed with the eggs. You may have to add more flour if the dough is too wet or a bit of water if it is too dry. Once the flour is incorporated and dough has come together in a shaggy mass, gather dough and set aside, and using a bench scraper, clean work surface. Scatter a bit of flour over the work surface and return dough. Knead for about 5 minutes, until it is smooth, elastic and just barely sticky. Wrap dough in plastic and allow it to rest 30 minutes.

Method 2:
Place flour, semolina and salt in workbowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Pulse twice to combine. Crack eggs into a measuring cup and use a fork to lightly mix. With processor running, add eggs in a steady stream until dough comes together, about 30 seconds, scraping all egg mixture from measuring cup. Check to see if dough is too wet or too dry, adding flour or water, as needed. Remove dough from processor and knead about 1 minute. Wrap in plastic and allow it to rest 30 minutes.

Marinara Sauce

makes about 7 cups

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 28 ounce cans of San Marzano tomatoes (DOP, packed without citric acid or calcium chloride if you can find them)
1 red onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
6 large basil leaves
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Pour olive oil into large non-reactive pot and heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute gently until translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add celery, carrots and salt, increase heat to medium and saute until soft, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often to avoid scorching. Add tomatoes with their juice and bay leaf. Cook at a gentle simmer 20 minutes. Add basil leaves and ½ teaspoon black pepper, continuing to cook until sauce has thickened somewhat – about 25 minutes more. Remove from heat, discard bay leaf and stir in butter to combine. This sauce may be used immediately, refrigerated 1 week or frozen up to 3 months. It is somewhat chunky. If you prefer a smooth sauce puree it in a food processor, blender or my favorite, a food mill.

To form the Tortelli Caramelle:

Cut pasta in 4 pieces, keeping the pieces you are not using covered. Roll pasta thinly by hand. If using a pasta machine, roll to the next to the last setting. As you roll the pasta pay attention to its width – it must be at least 6 inches across in order to cut the wrappers for the Caramelle.

Lightly dust work surface with a mixture of flour and semolina. Place sheet of pasta on counter. Using a fluted pastry cutter and a ruler or a template as a guide, cut sheet of pasta into 4 ½-inch X 5 ½-inch rectangles.

Position rectangles in front of you with the long side facing you. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each piece of pasta, flattening slightly. Use a pastry brush dipped in water to lightly wet the edge of the pasta nearest you.

Pick up the back third of the piece of pasta and fold it toward you to cover the top of the filling. Next pick up the edge of the pasta closet to you and fold it over the filling, as for a letter. Press gently over filling.

Pick up the formed pasta gently holding it with one hand at each end. Simultaneously (gently!) twist the ends in opposite directions (one end away from you and one end toward you) just as you would if wrapping caramel candies in paper wrappers.

Place formed Caramelle on towels or trays dusted with semolina, being careful they do not touch each other. If not using immediately, cover and refrigerate or freeze up to 3 months.

To cook and serve:
soft unsalted butter for tossing
basil to garnish
Grana Padano to serve

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Generously salt the water with coarse salt. Once the water has returned to the boil, reduce heat slightly to a gentle boil. Carefully drop Caramelle into water, cooking no more than 5 or 6 at a time and monitoring the rate of boil. Cook about 4 minutes until done.

Gently remove Caramelle from water using a spider or long handled strainer. Toss gently with soft butter. Nap with marinara sauce, garnish with basil and serve. Pass the Grana Padano.

Note: You can click on any picture for a larger image, and to see a slide show with even more pictures!

I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.