Be careful not to call it ravioli and above all Be careful not to confuse it with the Mantuan one. Jokes and inaccuracies are not allowed on the Crema tortello it is something viscerally linked to the history of this city, jealously guarded over time, which touches the pride of the bell tower. And the most aggressive in defending this ancient gastronomic tradition are precisely the women of Crema because the Tortello Cremasco only comes out of their hands, as evidenced by the five pinches that close the two edges of the disk of dough that encloses the precious dough, a real guarantee seal which testifies that that tortelli did not come out of the machine.
And to better understand what Tortello per Crema represents, let's rely on the words of Raffaele Grasselli: "... okay, it's a stuffed pasta" you might say. No, wait a minute: it's culinary art in its pure state. An amalgam of wise gestures that are lost in the Middle Ages, which became almost alchemy during the period of domination of Venice the Serenissima and entered the Crema tradition forever.
I'm a symbol, let's say it. They mean being together during a period of celebration, both a joyful family moment and a village occasion; their meaning is of belonging, so to speak, to the territory, a badge to wear with pride. Because pride is the driving force in this case: every country has its own recipe and in every country, every family has its own (very secret) one."
Before delving into its history we must also add that in addition to “seal” of the five pinches Tortello Cremasco has another peculiarity about pasta: it is rigorously composed with 11 ingredients (Spiced Mostaccino biscuit, dark chocolate amaretti biscuits, nutmeg, mints, salt, lemon zest, seasoned Grana Padano, candied citron, raisins, dry Marsala, egg) which demonstrate the reasons for its origin and for some years it has been tenaciously protected and defended by an Archconfraternity that safeguards its loyalty to its history and origins. Especially after the great international visibility that this specialty has achieved due to its appearance in the film “Call Me by Your Name” by Luca Guadagnino, mostly shot in the Crema countryside.
There was therefore a time when the city of Crema was an outpost of the Republic of Venice and that of Milan. Many of the goods that then spread from the Serenissima throughout Northern Italy were stored in Crema and then took the mercantile routes managed by the rich Crema bourgeoisie. And therefore in Crema it was easy to find spices such as nutmeg, liqueurs such as Marsala, almonds, dried fruit from the East. Coincidentally, the ingredients we find in the recipe for Tortello Cremasco which was born thanks to the fervent inventiveness of the housewives of the time.
Obviously the Cremasco Tortello doesn't like the machine, you can't find it packaged for sale anywhere and it doesn't like machines or blenders even to make the dough. Everything must be chopped manually: the amaretti biscuits and the mints must be broken up with a bottle, a meat pounder or rolling pin. Just as the raisins, after being soaked in Marsala, must be chopped with the mezzaluna together with the citron. And finally the mostaccino must be pounded with a meat pestle or grated. A tradition rigorously observed throughout the centuries so whoever wanted and wants to eat this specialty must either recommend it to a housewife or must go to some restaurants in the area which guarantee authenticity and which are part of the Archconfraternity of Tortello Cremasco.
Just as the Archconfraternity, when it came to having to codify a recipe for tortelli in keeping with history, turned to Amilcare Cazzamali of the Drogheria di Crema, who for years sold the ingredients to prepare them to ladies, becoming the custodian of the most popular recipe, homely and ancient as there is.
And this recipe is strictly respected by some restaurants in the area that join the Brotherhood such as Trattoria Le Villette, (Via Podgora, 2 – Crema 333 829 2499); The Agriturismo Loghetto (Via Milano, 2 – Crema 0373 230 209); the Rosetta trattoria restaurant (Via Roma, 28 – Passarera di Capergnanica 0373 238 118): The Agriturismo La Torre, (Via XXIV Maggio – Ripalta Cremasca 0373 68 193); Trattoria Gobbato area 51 (Via Marco Biagi, 31 – Chieve 0373 234 153); La Trattoria Severini (Via Crema, 2 – Capralba 0373 450 030); the Tiraboschi Restaurant (Via Giovanni Giana, 11 – Sergnano 0373 41 625); the Bosco Restaurant (Via IV Novembre, 111 – Crema 0373 82 684)
The recipe for tortelli from Crema by Amilcare the grocer
Ingredients (for 2 kg of cremaschi tortelli)
For pasta
1 kg 00 flour
to taste boiling water
For the stuffing
350 g Gallina amaretti biscuits
100 g sultanas
50 g candied citron
2 to 4 mints
1 mostaccino
150 g seasoned Grana Padano
1 egg yolk
a little grated lemon peel
2 to 4 tablespoons of dry Marsala
1 pinch of nutmeg
For the dressing
400 g melted butter
400 g Grana Padano aged 12 months
to taste sage
mostaccino biscuit
Method
For the stuffing
Premise: the real tortello from Crema does not like the blender, so the amaretti biscuits and mints should be broken up with a bottle, a meat pestle or a rolling pin and should never be blended. The raisins must be soaked in Marsala and then chopped with the mezzaluna together with the citron. The mostaccino, however, must be pounded with a meat pestle or grated.
Combine the mints, raisins, citron and mostaccino in a bowl and add the Grana Padano, the egg yolk, the Marsala used to soak the raisins, the grated lemon zest and finally a grating of nutmeg. If it is dry, add a little more Marsala. The filling must be prepared the day before because it must rest for 8 to 10 hours in a cool place covered with a cloth.
For pasta
Place the flour on the pastry board and gradually add the water which should be almost boiling until you obtain a dough with a soft but not sticky consistency. To prevent the tortello from falling apart during cooking, add fat to the mixture (a knob of butter or a spoonful of oil after having dissolved them in the hot water in the mixture). Let the dough rest for about 15 minutes, then proceed with rolling it out. It is best to use a machine to roll the dough until it is about 1,5mm thick. Once rolled out, use a round mold of 5 cm in diameter or a square mold of 3 or 4 cm to form the disks or triangles to place the filling.
For the tortelli
Fill each disk with the previously prepared filling. As a general guideline, take ¾ of a teaspoon as a reference. Close the disk or triangle with 5 or 7 pinches, pressing on the edges. The real Crema tortello is closed by hand (by way of exception, closure with the use of a fork is permitted). Always check that the flaps are tightly closed.
For the cooking
Place a pan of salted water on the heat. Bring the water to the boil, when boiling is at maximum, add a glass of cold water, then add the Cremaschi tortelli. Bring to the boil again and cook the tortelli slowly for a minimum of 15 to a maximum of 25 minutes. The cooking time depends on the thickness of the pasta.
For the dressing
On a table, prepare a tureen, the parmesan cheese, some sage leaves and the pot containing the tortelli. The secret is to season in layers: tortelli, butter, Grana Padano and sage. Once the tortelli are finished, cover with a lid and leave to rest for three minutes, then serve in hot bowls.
