Pork and Prosciutto Tortellini

Andy | Dinner | Italian

Prep time: 2 min Cook time: 10 min Servings: 4

I genuinely think making tortellini from scratch is one of the most rewarding things you can do in the kitchen. There’s real care and skill involved, and when you sit down to eat something you’ve built entirely by hand, it tastes completely different to anything from a packet. This recipe is based on a classic Emilia-Romagna filling that’s been made in Bologna for centuries. Pork mince, prosciutto, mortadella and Parmesan, blended into a smooth, rich paste that’s packed with flavour.

The sauce is a brown butter with sage, which sounds simple because it is, and that’s exactly why it works so well. The nutty depth of the browned butter lets the filling carry the dish without competing with it. The key here is to rest your pasta dough for a full two hours minimum, ideally overnight in the fridge. That rest time allows the gluten to relax, which makes the dough much easier to roll thin without it snapping back on you.

Ingredient Notes

Prosciutto and mortadella: I always use a quality prosciutto from the deli if you can access it, as I prefer freshly sliced versions. If not, pre-sliced will still be fine. A good prosciutto brings a clean, salty, slightly sweet depth to the filling.

Pork mince: You can use some chopped pork loin in the filling rather than mince. There are versions that cook the mince before processing with the other meats which also works.

00 flour: Tipo 00 flour is finely milled soft wheat flour and it’s what you want for fresh pasta. The low protein content means the dough rolls beautifully thin without tearing. You can use plain (all-purpose) flour in a pinch but you’ll find the dough a little stiffer and harder to work with, especially on the final thin settings of the pasta machine.

Butter: This is a brown butter sauce, so the quality and fat content of your butter genuinely matters. I use a good European-style butter with a higher fat percentage, which gives you more flavour and a better colour when it browns. Watch it closely once it starts foaming. You want it golden and nutty, not dark and bitter.

Equipment

Chopping board
Chef’s knife
Pasta machine
Rolling pin
Bench scraper
Large saucepan
Large frying pan
Slotted spoon
Small bowl of water (for sealing)
Plastic wrap or ziplock bag

Ingredients

100g prosciutto
80g sliced mortadella
60g grated Parmesan cheese
200g pork mince
1 egg
Freshly cracked black pepper, to season
Freshly grated nutmeg
125g butter
½ bunch sage leaves
Dough
400g ‘00’ flour, plus extra for dusting
4 eggs
20ml extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt, to season
3 tbsp fine semolina, for dusting

Directions

Make pasta dough
Place the flour on a clean work surface and make a well in the center. Crack the eggs into the center and season with a pinch of salt.
Add the olive oil and using a fork, whisk from the middle to the outside until you reach a clumpy dough, then use a bench scraper to bring it together. Knead for 4-5 minutes, or until the dough is nice and smooth.
Cover the dough in plastic wrap or in a ziplock bag. Set aside in the fridge to rest for a minimum 2 hours, ideally up to 24 hours.
Make the filling
Finely chop the prosciutto and mortadella and place in a food processor. Add the parmesan, pork mince, egg, black pepper and some freshly grated nutmeg.
Pulse a few times, until just combined into a smooth, homogenous paste, taking care to not overmix.
Transfer the filling to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until you are ready to use it.
Roll out pasta dough
Divide the pasta dough in half and keep one covered while you work with the first.
Roll each dough out gently on a large board or clean work surface, dusting lightly with some semolina, to about 1cm thick.
Roll the dough through a pasta machine on the biggest setting twice. Do an envelope fold on the sheet and press down to seal with your hands, then return to the pasta machine on the same setting. Roll it through twice more.
Turn the pasta machine setting down 1 notch, then pass the dough through twice. Continue to do this through each setting, until you have a long, thin pasta sheet. Note: only use semolina to dust the machine when necessary to avoid sticking.
Cut the pasta sheet in half to make 2 long even sheets and place on a lightly floured bench. Repeat with the other portion of dough.
Cut the sheets into 50mm x 50mm (2in x 2in) squares.
Place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre of each square and fold into a tortellini shape (see chef tips), wetting the edges of the dough to seal.
Transfer the pieces to a tray sprinkled with semolina. Refrigerate, uncovered, until ready to cook.
Cook the pasta
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil over high heat.
Cook the tortellini for 6-7 minutes, until just tender.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook until it starts to foam and just brown and smells nutty. Add the sage leaves and toss to coat in the butter.
Remove the tortellini with a slotted spoon and add straight into the butter. Toss to combine and then plate it up and serve.

Recipe notes

Chef Tips

The envelope fold

After you pass the dough through the widest setting, fold it in thirds like a letter, press it flat with your hands and pass it through on the same setting again. This envelope fold strengthens the gluten network and gives you a more even, silky sheet. I do this a couple of times before stepping down through the settings. Don’t rush the stepping down process. Each pass thins the dough gradually and gives it time to stretch without tearing.

Filling the tortellini

It’s tempting to load up each square but overfilling makes the tortellini almost impossible to seal properly, and they’ll burst during cooking. A heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre of each 50mm square is the right amount. Make sure there’s a clear border of pasta around the filling for the seal to hold. Wet the edges with a little water using your fingertip just before you fold.

Tortellini fold

The tortellini fold has a few steps and it can feel awkward on the first few you make. Fold the square diagonally into a triangle, press the edges to seal, then curl the two base corners around your finger and press them together. Don’t worry if the first few looks rough, you will improve with each one... and they’ll still taste exactly the same. Also, folding the tortellini in batches will prevent them from drying out too much before sealing them.

Your sauce

Brown butter goes from perfect to burnt very quickly. Once the butter melts and the foam starts to subside, you’ll see the milk solids begin to turn golden on the bottom of the pan. That’s the moment to add the sage. The residual heat from the pasta will continue cooking the butter, so pull it off the heat a little earlier than you think you need to.

Serve immediately

Fresh pasta in brown butter should always be served straight away. Once you toss the tortellini in the butter and sage, get it straight onto the plate. The pasta absorbs the butter fast and the sauce disappears if it sits too long. Finish with a few extra sage leaves from the pan, a grating of Parmesan and some cracked black pepper for an extra touch.

Storage

Cooked tortellini in butter sauce will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. Uncooked, filled tortellini can be refrigerated uncovered on a semolina-dusted tray for up to 24 hours before cooking. To freeze, lay them out on a tray to freeze individually before transferring to a freezer bag. They’ll keep frozen for up to 3 months and can be cooked from frozen, straight into boiling salted water.

FAQs

Can I make the tortellini ahead of time? Yes. The filling can be made up to a day ahead and kept in the fridge. The filled, uncooked tortellini can sit on a semolina-dusted tray in the fridge for up to 24 hours. This actually makes the whole process much more manageable if you’re cooking for a group.

Can I freeze the tortellini? Absolutely. Freeze them in a single layer on a tray until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. They’ll keep for up to 3 months. Cook straight from frozen in boiling salted water, adding about 2 extra minutes to the cooking time.

Can I substitute the pork? Yes. For a no-pork version, you can replace the pork mince and prosciutto with a mix of finely chopped mushrooms and ricotta. It won’t be the same dish, but it’s a solid vegetarian filling that works well with the brown butter and sage sauce.