Before introducing you to the potato and tuna tortelli recipe, I would like to share with you some food memories.
I kept a memory related to food for almost every vacation I took. In some cases, it was related to the purchase, in others to the preparation, or, finally, to the tasting.
Recently, I asked my husband to share three memories of holiday food, excluding Sunday and Christmas lunches. Then, I, too, answered the same question. We found we had one and a half memories in common.
We both remember the cake for the birthday party of Raoul Casadei, the king of Romagnolo ballroom dancing.
The half memory is about our honeymoon. We took it to a beautiful Amalfi Coast out of season. Even if it is the same scenery, the food we remember is different.
For him, the pizza al taglio from the little store near our hotel in Amalfi. The best he ever ate, he says.
My flashback takes me back to a small trattoria whose name I don’t remember. I appreciated the sumptuous, greasy, and enveloping sauce of the pasta al pomodoro I ate there. As it should always be and rarely is. In fact, pasta al pomodoro and pasta in bianco, with Parmigiano and butter, are among the easiest and, for that matter, the most difficult recipes to make.
Our unique gastronomic memories take us on separate journeys to the lives we lived before meeting. I would love to take you there.
An Italian Summer
On July 11, 1982, I had been at the beach since mid-June.
At that time, as soon as the school year ended, we children went to the Riviera Romagnola with grandma. Parents used to arrive on weekends until the August vacation which allowed the family to be reunited.
That was such an unforgivable year for each Italian. In the summer of 1982, the World Cup was played in Spain. With each match, hope and good cheer increased.
It was a summer full of joy, or at least I remember it that way.
The final was at 8 p.m. on July 11.
The event was extraordinary, especially in a country where football is almost a national obsession. Thus, loved ones and acquaintances started to arrive in the late afternoon.
My parents planned to have dinner on our porch before the game started. The television took place at the head of the table, remarking its importance.
For Grandma, it meant planning a dinner party for nearly twenty people. Today, no doubt, we would order pizzas to go. But at that time, she called some women to help her with the preparation, which began in the days before.
Potato and tuna tortelli and an unforgettable evening
I don’t remember the whole menu, but I distinctly remember the potato and tuna tortelli, hailed as one of Sara’s (my maternal grandmother’s) wonders.
Having to make a large amount of pasta, he decided on tortelli, which are, among fresh-filled pasta, one of the fastest to prepare (just like ravioli and spoja lorda)
The intuition was the filling composed of tuna and boiled potatoes.
It is easy to prepare and manage. It does not stick to the fingers like the ricotta one in tortelloni. Then Nonna paired the pasta with a tasty tomato and olive sauce that, as an accomplice to the summer, everyone loved.
We were sitting at the table by 7 p.m. The men preferred silence while playing the game. During the match break, they nervously consumed ice cream.
The result is history.
Italy defeated West Germany at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. The joy of Pertini, the beloved President of the Italian Republic, was the fuse that ignited an enormous roar of delight that, like the arms in the hola, passed from house to house.
I have fond memories of those days. I remember the celebrations, the joyful atmosphere of the following days, and the disappointment of the Germans who still frequented the Riviera in large numbers. However, what stands out the most to me is my grandmother’s tuna tortelli.
Buona cucina, Monica
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Potato and tuna tortelli
Ingredients
Tortelli Filling
- 300 g of tuna in olive oil
- 150 g of boiled potatoes
- 20 g of chopped capers
Fresh pasta
- 4 regular eggs
- 400 g of 00 flour
Black olive sauce
- 50 g of olive oil
- 20 g of butter
- 1 small white or yellow onion, finely chopped
- 200 g of pitted black olives, cut into pieces
- 250 g of tomato sauce
- 100 g of water at room temperature
- olive oil and salt to taste
Instructions
Tortelli filling
- Mash the boiled potato with a fork, drain the tuna from the olive oil, wash the capers under running water, and chop them finely with a knife.
- Make the tortelli filling by mixing the ingredients in a bowl with a fork or your hands. Cover the container and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Fresh pasta
- Weigh flour and eggs.
- Place the flour on the cutting board, forming a small mountain.
- Make a well with your fingers in the center of the flour, and add the eggs.
- Using a fork, gradually bring the flour toward the center to mix with the eggs.
- Stir until large crumbs form. From this point on, work the dough with your hands.
- Work the dough with regular wrist movements, pushing the mixture forward and bringing it back toward you for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and soft but not sticky.
- Form a ball and let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature, wrapped in plastic film or under a glass bowl.
Assembling tuna tortelli
- Roll out a thin sheet with a pasta machine or using a rolling pin and cutting board.
- Use a pasta cutter wheel to cut out 5cm squares.
- Arrange a generous teaspoon of filling on each square.
- Close the square on itself, forming a rectangular dumpling. Let the tortelli rest on trays sprinkled with semolina for 30 minutes.
Black olive sauce
- Gently sauté onion in a large pan with butter, oil, and a pinch of salt. Cook while stirring for 3-4 minutes, then also add coarsely chopped black olives.
- Add tomato sauce and water and stir.
- Cook for 15 minutes on low heat and let the sauce thicken. Add another drizzle of oil if needed. Taste and add salt to taste.
- Cook the tortelli in boiling salted water for 6-7 minutes or until cooked al dente. Drain the pasta using a slotted spoon and place the tortelli directly into the pan.
