Quality ingredients meet ancient pasta-making wisdom for exceptionally special ravioli filled with friggione, a rich sauce made from onions and peeled tomatoes. The Bologna Chamber of Commerce safeguards the recipe – a privilege shared with tortellini, tagliatelle, and ragù.
Amerigo Trattoria, located in Savigno-Valsamoggia in the province of Bologna, is the place to try it. Alberto Bettini, whose grandfather founded the restaurant in 1934, runs the show today. The friggione ravioli haven't changed since their opening day appearance on the menu. This recipe – and the other dishes – uphold the restaurant's philosophy of local raw ingredients, such as truffles, mushrooms, and wild game. There, rigorous tradition inspires simplicity – where fresh pasta prevails.
Friggione Ravioli with Butter and Parmigiano Reggiano
Ingredients for 6 people:
14 oz. flour
4 oz. durum wheat flour
14 oz. yellow onion, sliced
3 oz. tomato paste
5 oz. tomatoes, peeled
1 stick butter
4 oz. Parmigiano Reggiano
4 large eggs
2 large yolks
1 garlic clove, sliced
Method
Make the friggione
Brown the onion and garlic. Add the peeled tomatoes and tomato paste, letting it simmer for no less than two hours or until it takes on a fairly dense and uniform consistency free of any excess moisture.
Make the pasta dough
Knead the flour and eggs until smooth.
To make ravioli
Roll out the dough with a rolling pin and cut out 2-2 ½″ (6 cm) squares on each side. Place the friggione sauce in the center and close in a triangle shape, taking care not to leave any air between the filling and the pastry. Once ready to serve, cook the ravioli in plenty of salted water and sauté them in a pan with butter and ⅔ of the Parmigiano Reggiano. Grate the remaining Parmigiano Reggiano, sprinkle on top, and serve.