Let's make together Potato and Asparagus Tortelli
and during our Cook Along we'll make them dairy free, following a traditional recipe from Mugello
Thinking about recipes, pairings, and menus just got a bit more complex. When you have to avoid dairy altogether (you can read more about the reasons behind my choice here) you let go of natural associations that in your previous life were almost automatic, especially in the Italian food culture. This opens up to a heap of new possibilities.
My idea is to start from something that is already dairy free in our food tradition, something I already master, and move from there.
Rather than hunting for substitutes—or lactose-free ingredients, in my case—let me start by searching for what my cooking repertoire has already in it that could work: recipes, ingredients, pairings… Then, from there, I will be able to develop new tasty, satisfying recipes focused not on what is missing, but on those delicious ingredients I can indulge in.
On this matter, I found extremely fascinating Alicia Kennedy’s conversation with Hetty Lui McKinnon from last year, On being vegetarian in food media. Right at the beginning, Hetty McKinnon talks about being a vegetarian, and on the way she is focusing not on what is missing, but on what she has in terms of great, flavorful, versatile ingredients.
(…) when you talk about vegetarianism and veganism in the mainstream, people think about what's missing. There's always this perception that it's not very good and that there's something missing, and so they're just trying to replace it with something else. And so in my food, there is no—we're not trying to replace anything. I don't start from a viewpoint of, I want to make chicken with vegetables and I just need to replace the chicken with something. That's just so far out of my realm of thinking.
That’s exactly what I want to do. Let’s take stuffed fresh pasta, for example.
My autopilot would bring me to choose ricotta as a filling for stuffed fresh pasta. So I started with a question: which is the role of cheese here?
Ricotta adds softness and body to the filling of tortelli, but maybe I can substitute it with potatoes as in the traditional potato tortelli from Mugello. Parmigiano Reggiano lends depth of flavor, a rich, umami note. What if I play with fresh herbs, aromatics, and lemon zest to enhance the flavor of the other ingredients?
On Sunday we will start with a recipe from the archive, ricotta and asparagus tortelli, and we will develop a perfectly delicious, satisfying and dairy-free recipe from there. Ready to play with me?
April Cook Along: Potato and Asparagus Tortelli (dairy free)
We will meet SUNDAY, April 21st at 9.00 pm CET - 3.00 pm EST - 12.00 pm PST.
We will be making potato and asparagus tortelli. We will make the fresh pasta from scratch and roll that out with a pasta machine, then we will adapt an old recipe for asparagus and ricotta tortelli to make a new dairy-free version of plump, stuffed pasta parcels: tortelli with a filling of potatoes and asparagus, and plenty of fresh herbs and lemon zest (if you don’t want to use asparagus I’m giving a couple of ideas at the bottom of this email).
I’ll share all my tips on how to make fresh pasta and how to make beautiful stuffed parcels—we will shape together the classic tortelli, but also cappellacci and more creative shapes—, and you’ll be able to add a versatile pasta recipe to your Italian cooking repertoire.
I love this time together. I’ll answer all your questions, and you’ll be part of a recipe developing process, while we will brainstorm possibilities and combinations of flavors and ingredients.
While we’ll be rolling our pasta sheets and making plump tortelli, we’ll have time to talk about seasonality and spring cooking, and I’ll share my favorite Spring dishes from the Italian regional tradition.
[MARK YOUR CALENDAR] The Next Cook Alongs will be:
Sunday, MAY 19th at 9.00 pm CET - 3.00 pm EST - 12.00 pm PST
Sunday, JUNE 23rd at 9.00 pm CET - 3.00 pm EST - 12.00 pm PST
We moved our Cook Along to Zoom, so a recording of the class will be available for all paid subscribers after the event, and it will be easier to attend the Cook Along even if you live Down Under.
This is an event designed for those who subscribed to Letters from Tuscany: we’re slowly building friendships and shared memories and having lots of fun!
PLEASE LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS IF YOU WILL BE THERE, SO I’LL BE WAITING FOR YOU!
At the end of the Cook Along we’ll decide together the theme for the next cook along, so don’t miss it! Also, use the comments for any questions regarding ingredients, tools, and methods before our Cook Along.