Tuscany's filling is potato
Ask for tortelli in the Mugello, the hilly country north of Florence, and what arrives is filled with potato — mashed with garlic, parsley, a little tomato and parmesan, seasoned properly and sometimes lifted with nutmeg. It surprises people who expect ricotta, and it is one of the genuinely great regional dishes of Tuscany.
The reason is the same reason as always: potatoes grew well up there and meat did not go far. The other Tuscan version, tortelli maremmani, uses ricotta and spinach and comes from the coastal Maremma. Both are correct; they are simply from different valleys.
How they are folded
Roll the sheet slightly thicker than you would for ribbons — the dough has to survive being filled, sealed and boiled without splitting. Lay out spoonfuls of filling in a line, leaving proper gaps, then lay the second sheet over and press down around each mound with your fingers, pushing the air out towards the edge before you seal.
Trapped air is what bursts a tortello in the water, and it is the single most common failure. Seal firmly, cut with a wheel, and check every edge. This is the shape that separates people who are enjoying themselves from people who are in a hurry, and it is the one our guests are proudest of at the end of a class.
What to put on them
Very little, and that is the point. Butter and sage — foamed until it just starts to smell nutty, with a few crisped sage leaves — is the classic, and it is hard to improve on. A restrained meat ragù is the Mugello Sunday version.
What ruins tortelli is a sauce that competes with the filling. You have spent an hour making something with a flavour on the inside; do not bury it. If in doubt, butter, sage and a grating of parmesan.
