Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [69]
Note Manfrigul can be chopped in the food processor, using the steel blade. Pulse the motor on and off to ensure fairly even chopping. Stop when you reach the consistency of very tiny pellets. When done, part of the dough will have become pulverized. Discard it by emptying the processor’s bowl into a fine strainer and shaking the powdered dough away.
Keeping manfrigul: It keeps so well that it is a good idea to have a supply always on hand. Spread on a dry, clean, cloth towel and let it dry out thoroughly. It takes about 12 hours, so you may want to leave it out overnight. Store it in a cupboard in a closed glass jar.
Use manfrigul in vegetable soups, or in any soup where you might use rice or barley. It is also excellent on its own, in Basic Homemade Meat Broth, served with grated Parmesan.
STUFFED AND SHAPED PASTA
For all the shapes given below, work only with soft, moist, just-made dough. Before beginning, read the instructions given in the Stuffed Pasta note. The softness of dough that has just been rolled out makes it easier to shape, and its stickiness is necessary to produce a tight seal that will keep the stuffing from leaking during the cooking.
• Tortellini The dumplings that in Bologna are called tortellini, in Romagna—the provinces of Ravenna, Forlì, and Rimini—are called cappelletti. The fillings may vary, but the method for making the wrappers is the same. Trim the strips of pasta dough into rectangular bands 1½ inches wide. Do not discard the trimmings, but press them into one of the balls of dough to be thinned out later.
Cut the bands into 1½-inch squares. Put about ¼ teaspoon of whatever filling the recipe calls for in the center of each square. Fold the square diagonally in half, forming two triangles, one above the other. The edges of the top half of the triangle should stop short of meeting those of the bottom half by about ⅛ inch. Press the edges firmly together with your fingertip, sealing them tightly.
Pick up the triangle by one of the corners of its long side, the folded over side. Pick up the other end with the other hand, holding it between thumb and forefinger. The triangle should now be facing you, its long side parallel to the kitchen counter, its tip pointing straight up. Without letting go of the end, slip the index finger of one hand around the back of the triangle, and as you turn the fingertip toward you let it come up against the base of the triangle pushing it upward in the direction of the tip. As you do this, the triangle’s peak should tip toward you and fold over the base. With the same motion, bring together the two corners you are holding, forming a ring around the tip of your forefinger which should still be facing you. Lap one corner over the other, pressing them firmly togeter to close the ring securely. Slip the tortellino off your finger, and place it on a clean, dry, cloth towel.
As you continue to make them, lay all the tortellini in rows on the towel, making sure they do not touch or they will stick to each other and tear when separated. Although they are ready for cooking immediately, it’s likely that you will be making them a few hours or even a day ahead of time. When making them in advance, turn them from time to time, so that they dry evenly on all sides. Do not let them touch until the dough has become leather hard, or you will end up with torn tortellini.
Suggestion: Before making tortellini for the first time, cut facial tissue into a number of squares 1½ by 1½ inches, and practice on them until you feel you’re doing it right.
• Tortelloni, Tortelli, Ravioli They are called by different names, and they may vary in size and in their stuffing, but they are all one shape: square. To make them, trim soft, freshly made pasta