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Cappelletti
Cappelletti are ring-shaped stuffed pasta so called for the characteristic shape that resembles a hat (cappello in Italian). Compared to tortellini, they have a different shape, larger size, thicker dough and different filling.
The origins of the recipe, very widespread on a territorial basis, are ancient, traditionally and historically linked to Emilia-Romagna and Marche. From these areas it then spread over the centuries, becoming a typical dish in various cities. Some recent sources specifically indicate the area in the Cesena-Ferrara-Reggio Emilia triangle as the place of origin, others report the Marche as a land where cappelletti are of ancient tradition.
A first reference to this culinary preparation could perhaps be found linked to Ferrara, in a text dating back to 1556 by Cristoforo di Messisbugo, former cook of the Este court with Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, at the beginning of the 16th century. The traditional recipe for cappelletti includes, among the ingredients of the filling (batù) chicken, pork, veal or beef (as well as bacon and cotechino), Parmesan, eggs and nutmeg. For the puff pastry there are no particular differences compared to the one prepared for all the other types of filled pasta. In the Ferrara area we distinguish the caplìt, filled with meat and cheeses, to be consumed in broth, and the larger caplàz, with a pumpkin-based filling, to be eaten dry with meat sauce (ragù) or butter and sage.
