Crema Style Tortelli with Butter and Grana Padano
Traditional Lombard pasta parcels filled with a distinctive sweet-savory mixture of Amaretti, raisins, candied citron, and Grana Padano cheese, bound with egg and breadcrumbs browned in butter. Folded into triangles, boiled until tender, then layered in a dish with melted browned butter and grated cheese. A unique first course from Crema with no direct Italian equivalent.
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups white flour, all-purpose
- 1 egg, whole
- salt, to taste(optional)
- 11 tbsp butter, cold
- 1 ¼ cups Grana Padano cheese, grated
- 1 ¾ oz candied citron, choppedcandied orange peel1:1citruscandied
similar sweetness and texture
- 3 tbsp breadcrumbs, plain
- 1 egg, whole
- 1 ¾ oz raisin, dried
- 4 ½ oz Amaretti, Italian almond biscuitsalmond flour with sugar and egg white3 tbsp flour + 1 tbsp sugarnutalmond
use crumbled almonds if whole biscuits unavailable
- nutmeg, grated(optional)
- 1 lemon, zest
- 1 tbsp Marsala wine, drysweet white wine or brandy1:1alcoholsweet
adjusts richness of filling
- salt, to taste(optional)
Instructions
- 1
Soak raisins in abundant warm water until plump.
- 2
Pound Amaretti into powder.
- 3
Brown 30 grams butter with breadcrumbs in a pan, then transfer to a bowl.
- 4
Add pounded Amaretti, drained raisins, grated nutmeg to taste, grated cheese, egg, chopped candied citron, Marsala wine, and lemon zest to the bowl.
- 5
Stir well with a wooden spoon, adding more Marsala if needed.
- 6
Knead flour with a pinch of salt and 1 egg, adding hot water until dough reaches desired consistency.
- 7
Roll out dough and cut into 7 centimeter squares.
- 8
Place a small portion of filling in the center of each square.
- 9
Fold squares diagonally to form triangles and press edges firmly to seal.
- 10
Bring salted water to boil in a large pot.
- 11
Cook tortelli for 10 minutes.
- 12
Melt and brown the remaining butter.
- 13
Drain tortelli with a slotted spoon.
- 14
Layer tortelli in a pie dish, alternating with browned butter and grated Grana Padano cheese.
- 15
Serve hot.
Tips
Grana Padano protects the delicate filling during cooking; press edges firmly to prevent bursting.
Hot water in dough aids gluten development; avoid overmixing to keep dough tender.
Good to Know
Uncooked tortelli refrigerate up to 1 day covered, or freeze up to 2 months.
Prepare filling and dough separately up to 1 day ahead. Assemble tortelli up to 4 hours ahead, cover with plastic wrap.
Hot from the pot with melted browned butter and grated Grana Padano. Pair with young red sparkling wines from Emilia (Gutturnio, Bonarda, Lambrusco, Barbera) or aromatic whites like Gewurztraminer.
Common Mistakes
Seal edges inadequately to prevent filling from leaking during boiling.
Use overly thick dough to avoid tough, chewy tortelli.
Skip draining raisins to avoid soggy filling.
Substitutions
similar sweetness and texture
use crumbled almonds if whole biscuits unavailable
adjusts richness of filling