The Tale of Two Tortellini (Or Was It Tortelloni..?)

Ever since I've known Brett, he's had a food crush on the dish we've come to know as tortellini (tortellini Alfredo, tortellini soup, tortellini with parmesan etc. - the sky's the limit!). Brett's tortellini fixes can come in any cooking style or flavor and it will always hit the spot. As a child, Brett's answer to the classic "what's your favorite food?" question was always "tortellini!" A response that would leave many stunned, and somewhat confused. 

Well, you can only imagine Brett's excitement when we found out that Bologna, a city about 6 hours north of Naples, is actually the home place of all things tortellini (we even saw tortellini shaped chocolate!). Bologna is specifically known for their Tortellini en Brodo (Tortellini in Broth)- a dish we knew we had to try. 

Without much other motivation, we set off on a road trip to Bologna with the one goal of trying authentic tortellini dishes. (On a side note: on the way to Bologna, we stopped in the spectacular town of Orvieto. We wanted to check out their underground tour and cliff face views. I would recommend this side trip to anyone wanting to explore one of Italy's many mountain top towns.)

Back to the story, Brett had two specific restaurants in mind that he wanted to try while in Bologna. One restaurant is in the actual city of Bologna (La Traviata), and the other is half an hour from Bologna in Castelfranco (La Lumira). Although Bologna is known for being the home place of tortellini, the restaurant in Castelfranco is touted as having "the best tortellini" in the area. Of course, we were intrigued and had to try both. 

This is what we learned: tortellini as we know it, is actually (wait for it...) Tortelloni (GASP!!!!). This revelation was shocking to us too- haha. Tortellini, as is classically made in Bologna, are tiny in comparison to the tortellini we know in the U.S.

Brett eating his first Tortellini en Brodo from La Traviata.
Notice the size!

Spinach ricotta tortelloni, exactly what I thought Tortellini would look like.
Also from La Traviata. SO, so good :)

Our experience with the food in La Traviata was delicious! After trying Tortellini en Brodo in both places, Brett decided that although the tortellini from La Traviata was super tasty- that the broth from La Lumira was the best. The broth was somehow more flavorful and heartier- a perfect warming-up wintertime dish.

Brett excited to dig into his final tortellini dish of the weekend.
(I swear these eating events were on two different days, despite Brett's repeat shirt performance...)

I couldn't wait to eat my dish so much
that I forgot all about taking a picture before I messed it up!
This was pumpkin stuffed tortelloni
in a cream and balsamic sauce from La Lumira.
Yum!

All in all, I'm pretty sure we gained a total of 10 pounds between us this weekend (all. the. carbs!!!). BUT- besides a few extra pounds, we gained a far better cultural understanding of what tortellini (or tortelloni) means to the people of Italy (and Bologna specifically). Totally worth the tight jeans!

A typical pasta shop window in Bologna.
Tortellini galore! 

The Asparagus Files

I used to think asparagus was a less
than likeable vegetable (one might say inedible).
This all changed last Christmas when I ventured to try asparagus. 

It was simply made with butter (ha, ha- can go wrong with butter),
salt, and pepper. Since then, I have been looking for more ways
to incorporate asparagus into my life. 

For this reason, I was excited to try:

Cooking Light's Gnocchi with Shrimp, Asparaus, and Pesto

This meal combined three of my favorite ingredients:
shrimp, gnocchi, and pesto.

It truly lived up to my expectations of how tasty it would be.

Chef's Notes:

We always find that the gnocchi is always best when it is freshly cooked. 
Our meals always seem best when we wait till the last minute
to boil and drain the gnocchi.

We recommend Parmigiano-Reggiano for this meal.

Tofu Love

If you are looking for an easy, but healthy recipe this one is for you:

Cooking Light's Udon Noodles with Sesame and Tofu

 

Chef Notes:
Pressing the tofu during the day before cooking it ensures
that it is firm and stays together when it is being pan fried.
Noodles are best when they are eaten right after being boiled and drained.
The sauce has a slight kick to it but can be lessened (or increased) by the red pepper flakes.

Herb the Chicken

Herb Crusted Chicken and Parsley Orzo from Cooking Light

Notes:
If you have thick pieces of of chicken,
cut them in half to ensure that they cook all the way through.
For extra flavor add Italian Seasonings

instead of parsley. 

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs!

Spaghetti and Meatballs from Cooking Light

Notes:
For a lighter dish try mixing a pack of 90/10 and pack of 95/5
to get 92.5/7.5 lean beef sirloin.
If you enjoy a spicier spaghetti dish,
try adding crushed red peppers to the sauce or meatballs, or both.
This dish also works best if the spaghetti is the last thing to get cooked.
Boiling the spaghetti right before serving with a little bit of olive oil 
makes a giant difference!