Check out this delicious dish from Danilo Cortellini at Prosecco DOC & Grana Padano PDO Cheese.
A note from Danilo…
We all call them tortellini but in their homeland, they are more likely to be called cappelletti. In fact, in the Emilia Romagna region, there is a clear distinction between the smaller tortellini (from Bologna to the most northern part of the region) and the slightly larger cappelletti (from the coastal side). I know it sounds pretentious and they look very similar, but tradition is tradition, and we have to do our best to respect it!
The filling in this case is a sabayon, so it will be very delicate. The rich flavour of the Grana Padano cheese is well balanced by the pronounced acidity of the Prosecco DOC, which when reduced lose its sharp edges elevating its sweet side.
It all works beautifully with the asparagus sauce.
NEED TO KNOW
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Starter
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE
- 12 green asparagus
- 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 20 g grated Grana Padano cheese
- 20 g chopped onion
- 20 g unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Herbs to garnish
INGREDIENTS FOR THE PASTA
- 3 whole rich yolk eggs
- 300 g 00 flour
INGREDIENTS FOR THE FILLING
- 6 egg yolks
- 50 ml of Prosecco DOC
- 80 g grated Grana Padano cheese
- 80 g double cream
METHOD
- To prepare the pasta, simply kneed all the eggs and flour together until you have a smooth but elastic dough. Let it rest wrapped in cling film for about 30 minutes.
- Now prepare the filling. On a low heat, boil the Prosecco DOC until it’s reduced by half.
- Whisk the egg yolks and add the grated Grana Padano to them. Place the bowl on a bain marie, or over a saucepan of simmering water, but make sure the water never reaches boiling point or it will scramble the eggs. Add the hot reduced wine to the egg yolks and whisk together constantly to form the sabayon. Once hot, firm but still a little fluffy to the touch, remove from the heat. It should take about 5 minutes. Whilst it cools down, continue to mix. You can now add the whipped double cream to the sabayon and place the cold mixture into a pastry-piping bag. Let it set well in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Peel the asparagus and get rid of the woody end. You can use all the trimmings for the sauce and save the tops to use as garnish. Sweat the chopped onion with a drizzle of olive oil until golden and add all the pre-boiled asparagus trimmings. Season to taste, add a ladle of cooking water and blend well in a powerful food processor. Pass through a fine sieve to get rid of any lumps.
- Now it is time to prepare the cappelletti. Roll out the pasta with the help of a pasta machine. Gradually reduce the thickness of the pasta sheets until you reach about 1.5mm.
- Now cut the pasta into 4cm circles and place a drop of cold sabayon in the middle of each of them. Do not attempt to do all the cappelletti together as the pasta will dry out while you are making them. I recommend covering the rolled pasta with cling film to prevent this.
- To close them, brush the edges with a little water, fold them in half, press to seal and pinch the 2 edges together. I suggest you look for a video tutorial online to get the technique right, it is not as complicated as it sounds, I promise!
- Once all the cappelletti are ready drop them in salted boiling water and cook them for 1 minute only making sure the water does not boil too hard as they could easily break. Gently heat the sauce and melt a knob of butter in a separate pan.
- Drop the cooked parcels into the pan with butter and season them with a pinch of salt of pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
- Plate a nice spoon of sauce on each plate and place the cappelletti on top of it. Garnish with the asparagus tips and fresh herbs and finish with some extra grated Grana Padano cheese.
Recipe by Danilo Cortellini