I have eaten my body weight in tortelloni (think: very big tortellini filled with a ricotta mixture instead of ground pork). Let’s say it’s all been in the name of research. The variance of shapes, textures, and thickness I have encountered is mind boggling, particularly considering the fact that tortelloni are, at least superficially, pinched pasta parcels. The way the pasta is folded, however, makes it unique to the pasta maker and, for that reason, there are as many tortelloni shapes as there are sfoglini in Bologna.
I firmly believe the only way to make a proper tortellone is to think about its architecture. When cooked, most tortelloni will have thick and crunchy parts or chewy parts. That’s because there are many connection points created through folding where the pasta is at double or even quadruple thickness at the folds, resulting in uneven cooking. By folding a tortellone my way and pressing the pasta to single thickness (see page 24) at the connection points, you create channels for the boiling water to flow through and, thereby, ensure even cooking.
