flipTortelli d'erbetta alla parmigiana
Tortelli d'erbetta alla parmigiana
Why this dish? Tortelli d'erbetta — ravioli stuffed with Swiss chard and ricotta — are THE emblematic dish of Parma, served at the family table on holidays, especially the night of St. John. Toscanini, the child of a modest Parmesan tailor, grew up with this hand-rolled pasta drowned in melted Parmigiano.
Thin squares of egg pasta enclosing a mixture of chopped chard, ricotta, and Parmesan, simply served with melted butter and an avalanche of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. A humble dish in ingredients but princely in gesture.
Come closer, and watch how we roll the dough — thin, ever thinner, until you can see the marble through it! At home in Parma, my mother folded these tortelli for the night of San Giovanni, and woe to anyone who drowned them in too much butter: you respect the erbetta, you respect the Parmigiano, as you respect a score! Not a grain of cheese too many, not a note too many. Eat them hot, my friend, and be silent for a moment: it's the only way to truly listen to them.
- •Wheat flour — a good measure (pasta)
- •Fresh eggs — a few (pasta)
- •Swiss chard (erbette) — a large bunch (filling)
- •Ricotta — equal parts with chard (filling)
- •Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano — generously (filling and finish)
- •Butter — as needed (seasoning)
- •Nutmeg — a grating (flavor)
Tortelli d'erbetta alla parmigiana
Thin squares of egg pasta enclosing a mixture of chopped chard, ricotta, and Parmesan, simply served with melted butter and an avalanche of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. A humble dish in ingredients but princely in gesture.
Why this dish? Tortelli d'erbetta — ravioli stuffed with Swiss chard and ricotta — are THE emblematic dish of Parma, served at the family table on holidays, especially the night of St. John. Toscanini, the child of a modest Parmesan tailor, grew up with this hand-rolled pasta drowned in melted Parmigiano.
Come closer, and watch how we roll the dough — thin, ever thinner, until you can see the marble through it! At home in Parma, my mother folded these tortelli for the night of San Giovanni, and woe to anyone who drowned them in too much butter: you respect the erbetta, you respect the Parmigiano, as you respect a score! Not a grain of cheese too many, not a note too many. Eat them hot, my friend, and be silent for a moment: it's the only way to truly listen to them.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour — a good measure (pasta)
- Fresh eggs — a few (pasta)
- Swiss chard (erbette) — a large bunch (filling)
- Ricotta — equal parts with chard (filling)
- Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano — generously (filling and finish)
- Butter — as needed (seasoning)
- Nutmeg — a grating (flavor)
Ingredients
- Type 00 flour — 300 g (pasta)
- Eggs — 3 (pasta)
- Swiss chard (green parts) — 400 g (filling)
- Well-drained ricotta — 250 g (filling)
- Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano — 120 g (50 g for filling) (filling and finish)
- Butter — 80 g (seasoning)
- Nutmeg — 1 pinch (flavor)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Knead flour and eggs into a smooth dough, wrap in plastic and let rest 30 min.
- Sauté the washed chard in a pan, squeeze out water, then chop finely.
- Mix chard, ricotta, 50 g Parmesan, nutmeg and salt for the filling.
- Roll out the dough very thinly, place walnut-sized dollops of filling, fold and cut into sealed squares.
- Cook in salted boiling water for 3–4 min.
- Melt the butter, drain the tortelli, toss in butter and cover with grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.
How it was made : In Toscanini's time, the dough was rolled by hand with a matterello (long wooden rolling pin) on a board, without machines. The chard came from the family vegetable garden and the ricotta from the neighborhood dairy. The dish was served "in bianco" (with butter and cheese), with tomatoes reserved for other preparations.
The contemporary twist : As a nod to the conductor, arrange the tortelli in a semicircle, like an orchestra's music stands facing the baton of brown butter.
Sources : Cucina parmigiana, tradition régionale de l'Émilie-Romagne · Pellegrino Artusi, La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiar bene, 1891
Arturo Toscanini · Charactorium
