In Italy, Christmas isn't Christmas without tortellini. Why should anyone that’s gluten-free miss out on this delicious tradition? Of course, you can always find ready-made gluten-free tortellini at the supermarket, but nothing compares to the joy and satisfaction of preparing them at home. The ritual of kneading, rolling out and filling the tortellini can be carried on without the gluten — as long as you use the appropriate gluten-free flour! Trust us, this dish will be popular even with the rest of the crowd that isn’t even celiac! Yes, they really are that good! And the recipe for these homemade tortellini isn’t any more difficult than the original one, either. The most important thing is choosing the right flour: you can buy ready-made gluten-free flour mixes, but we recommend one that’s meant for egg pasta. Alternatively, you can opt for a mix of equal parts rice and corn flours. It’s also essential to work the dough for a good amount of time, factoring in time to let it rest properly. After the pasta dough has set, you’ll boil and serve the tortellini in the traditional capon broth as usual. Otherwise, cook them simply by boiling them in salted water and serve with butter and Parmigiano Reggiano.
Gluten-free Tortellini Recipe
Preparation time: 2 hours + 1/2 hour rest period
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the egg pasta: 300 g gluten-free flour, 4 eggs, Rice flour, 1 pinch of salt
For the filling: 300 g pork loin, 100 g mortadella, 100 g prosciutto crudo, 150 g grated Parmigiano Reggiano, 1 egg, Butter, Nutmeg, Salt
Capon broth for serving and cooking
Method
For the egg pasta
Crack four eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork until well-blended. Add the flour and salt, then start kneading. When the dough starts to get firm, continue working vigorously on the countertop. Knead for a long time, until the dough is no longer sticky. You can use a kneading machine if you have one. Make dough into a ball, coat in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
For the filling
Cut pork loin into pieces and roast in a pan with butter, nutmeg and salt. Let cool. Mince pork loin together with mortadella and ham. Carefully add Parmigiano Reggiano cheese followed by the egg and nutmeg mixture. Roll out the dough in a thin sheet to make the pasta. Place the sheet on a countertop floured with rice flour and cut into 3.5 cm squares. Place a little filling on each square, fold the dough into a triangle and press the edges with your fingers. Fold the outer corner of the triangle slightly and close in a ring shape, turning the pasta around your finger. Don’t forget to keep the remaining pasta dough covered in plastic wrap, by the way! You don’t want the pasta to dry out while you’re preparing it! Once the tortellini are finally ready, boil them in capon broth and serve.