Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [101]
1. Dice the pork and the boned, skinless chicken breast into ½-inch cubes.
2. Put the butter in a skillet and turn on the heat to medium. When the butter foam begins to subside, add the cubed pork, one or two pinches of salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Cook for 6 or 7 minutes, turning it to brown it evenly on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, remove it from the skillet and set aside to cool.
3. Add the chicken pieces to the skillet with a pinch of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Brown the chicken on all sides, cooking it about 2 minutes. Remove it from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool with the pork.
4. When cool enough to handle, chop the pork and chicken together to a grainy, slightly coarse consistency. It is all right to use the food processor, but do not reduce the meat to a pulp.
5. Put the chopped meat in a bowl and add the mortadella, ricotta, egg yolk, grated Parmesan, and a tiny grating—about ⅛ teaspoon—of nutmeg. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are evenly amalgamated. Taste and correct for salt.
6. Make yellow pasta dough by the machine method, or by the hand-rolled method. Cut it into tortellini, and stuff them with the above mixture. When boiling the pasta, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the water.
Green Tortellini with Meat and Ricotta Stuffing
About 130 tortellini, 5 to 6 servings
FOR THE STUFFING
¼ pound pork, preferably from the neck OR Boston butt
¼ pound veal shoulder
1 tablespoon butter
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1 tablespoon mortadella chopped very fine
½ cup fresh ricotta
⅓ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 egg yolk
Whole nutmeg
FOR THE PASTA
Homemade green pasta dough, made by the machine method, OR by the hand-rolled method, using 2 large eggs, ⅓ package frozen leaf spinach OR 6 ounces fresh spinach, salt, approximately 1½ cups unbleached flour, and 1 tablespoon milk
Recommended sauce Prosciutto and Cream Sauce; Cream and Butter Sauce; Tomato Sauce with Heavy Cream. Always serve with grated Parmesan.
1. Cut the pork and veal into thin slices, then into 1-inch pieces more or less square. Keep the two meats separate.
2. Put the butter and pork in a small skillet, and turn on the heat to medium low. Cook for 5 minutes, browning the meat on both sides and turning it frequently.
3. Add the veal, and cook it for 1½ minutes or less, browning it on both sides. Add salt, a few grindings of pepper, stir thoroughly to coat well, then remove all the meat from the pan, using a slotted spoon so that all the fat remains behind.
4. When cool enough to handle, chop the pork and veal together to a grainy, slightly coarse consistency. It is all right to use the food processor, but do not reduce the meat to a pulp.
5. Put the chopped meat in a bowl, and add the mortadella, ricotta, grated cheese, egg yolk, and a tiny grating—about ⅛ teaspoon—of nutmeg. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are evenly amalgamated. Taste and correct for salt and pepper.
6. Make green pasta dough by the machine method, or by the hand-rolled method. Cut it, stuff it with the above mixture, and shape it into tortellini. When boiling the pasta, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the water.
Tortellini with Fish Stuffing
About 140 tortellini, 6 servings
FOR THE STUFFING
1 small onion
1 medium carrot
1 small celery stalk
A 1-pound piece of fish, in a single slice if possible, preferably sea bass, OR other fish with comparable delicate flavor and juicy flesh
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
Salt
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
⅛ teaspoon dried marjoram OR a few fresh leaves
Whole nutmeg
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
FOR THE PASTA
Homemade yellow pasta dough, made by the machine method, OR by the hand-rolled method, using 3 large eggs, approximately 1⅔ cups unbleached flour, and 1 tablespoon milk
Recommended sauce Pink Shrimp Sauce with Cream, or Tomato Sauce with Heavy Cream. You can serve it with or without