Veal and Parmesan Tortellonis with Spicy Sage Butter Sauce

Yes, yes, double YES! These little, but not so little, scrumptious morsels will indefinitely get you laid, if not attention. Want to impress your boyfriend/girlfriend? Want to impress you family? Here you go, you can thank me later!

This is the perfect date night meal, where you can both make these tortellonis together. From the basic pasta dough, to the filling, to forming the tortellonis to the simple spicy sage sauce, this will blow your mind on how easy this is to make!

Tortellonis are a larger version of tortellinis which are a stuffed pasta that are shaped like pillow rings. Tortellonis are generally 1 to 2 inches in size. They are a staple of Italian cuisine, and a brother to ravioli. From cheeses to meats to veggies, you can stuff these bad boys with just about anything. The pasta is made by placing the filling in the center of cut out circles and then folding them into tubes to form rings. The center holes of the rings are wound tightly, but can sometimes be small or unnoticeable. The pouch is then sealed with egg wash, frozen, or ready to be boiled and eaten immediately.

I chose to use ground veal in the filling, because it has a milder, lean flavor and low amounts of saturated fat. Its texture is very tender. I paired the veal with onions, garlic, parmesan cheese, and fresh parsley. I only used a few ingredients to compliment the meat, but not to overpower. Parmesan cheese is a distinctively salty, slightly granular cheese that adds flavor and texture to the filling. The parsley adds this beautiful green vibrant color, while the onions adds a hint of sweetness. The garlic plays its usual accompanying role. An Italian restaurant in Chelsea in NYC, Giovanni Ranna Pastificio & Cucina, inspired this dish.

I am also a huge fan of spice, so I paired the tortellonis with a spicy sage butter sauce that can be prepped and prepared in less than 3 minutes. Sage is an herb that has a pungent, mildly astringent, slightly bitter to peppery flavor that accents the mildness of the veal. I used three spices in this sauce including red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, and paprika. The red pepper flakes are hot, dried bits of chile peppers that adds heat to the sauce. The cayenne pepper adds a zesty kick.

Paprika is a red spice made from dried bell peppers. It does not necessarily add heat, because bell peppers are sweet. Therefore, it adds sweetness and color. Start by browning the unsalted butter and then add the sage so that its oils can infuse into the hot butter. Finish with the spices and then remove from heat. Simple! The dish sounds a lot fancier than it actually is to produce. Treat yourself and the ones you love!

Learn how to make Fresh basic pasta dough here

Watch the Tortelloni Tutorial here

Purchase biscuit cutters to cut your circles here

Like my Facebook: here

Homemade Bow-tie Pasta with Pomodoro Sauce

Also known as farfalle, it is the Italian word for bow-tie pasta. Farfalle translates to the word "butterflies," which is exactly what these little critters look like. Bow-tie pasta is fantastic when it comes to mopping up sauces and cheese. The pasta is well suited for tomato and cream sauces, although it can be used for others as well. It also holds its shape really well when baked in casseroles.

Living in Chicago for 11 years, I was surrounded by a plethora of wonderful Italian restaurants that delivered. One of my favorite restaurants was 'Go Roma,' which made and delivered the most insanely yummy bow-tie pasta with an amazingly olive oily Pomodoro sauce. Everyone I have ever introduced to this, has enjoyed it just as much as I have.

There is a noticeably difference in fresh pasta than boxed pasta. Fresh pasta gives you that eggy satiating taste that I have a hard time finding in boxed store-bought pasta. Once you establish the perfect pasta dough recipe, it is so easy to prepare. And, this pasta is not limited to just one sauce! Pair it with anything that gets you excited.

Pomodoro sauce is typically prepared with olive oil (good olive oil), fresh or canned tomatoes, basil, and other ingredients. My "other ingredients" include an overwhelming amount of fresh garlic, carrots, dried oregano, and a parmesan cheese rind. If you decide you want to use fresh plum tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes, you will need to blanch and shock the tomatoes and proceed to peel them. Roma tomatoes work the best in this case, because they have less seed compartments, so you won't need to remove the center.

Pomodoro means "tomato" in Italian. It is similar to a marinara sauce, but it uses olive oil as the base rather than a chicken stock. Pomodoro sauce is much thicker than a marinara, but still quite liquidy (because of the olive oil) with fewer chunks. Why exactly are we using carrots, you ask? Well, its either carrots or granulated sugar. You want to start eating healthier, right? Right! Carrots are a great substitute for sugar, because they add an element of sweetness to the sauce and gives it some flavor depth, while they deacidify the tomatoes. The basil presents an initial subtle peppery flavor that evolves into a slightly sweet anise flavor as it cooks. It is best to add the basil towards the end of the cooking process (if it is a long process), because the oils in this herb activate the flavors and aromas, which hit their peak quickly, delivering an immense amount of FLAVA. However, 45 minutes is short enough where you can add the fresh herbs towards the beginning to middle stages of the process. And, while we are skipping the sugar, we can also skip the salt! I add the rind of parmesan cheese, which adds a salty flavor to the sauce. But, if you must, you can add a bit of kosher salt to the sauce as well. Dried oregano is incredible in the sense that it is more flavorful than any other herb when its dried than fresh. It adds a comforting, familiar, slightly bitter taste to the sauce.

This is a great week night dinner, because it is intended to be a quick light dish, rather than heavy. It also cooks up in less than an hour! It is great to make with the kiddies too! I have made pasta with my 7-year-old sister before and not only does she love cutting out the shapes, but she really develops an appreciation for food. It's definitely a lot less fights at the dinner table when you get the kids involved in the cooking process. I have one of the pickiest sisters in the world, so I am living proof. Ciao!

Learn how to make my fresh homemade pasta dough here.
Watch the Tutorial for this recipe here
Want the pasta and ravioli wheel I use in this recipe? Purchase it here 
Like my Facebook page here