Sorrentinos

Sorrentinos are large, round stuffed pasta filled with ham, mozzarella and ricotta, served in a cream or tomato sauce. They were invented by Italian immigrants in Mar del Plata, Argentina, and despite the name evoking the Italian town of Sorrento, no equivalent dish under this name exists in Italy — it's a genuinely Argentine invention that borrowed only the idea of stuffed pasta.

What it really is

Fresh egg pasta rolls thin and cuts into large, round discs — noticeably bigger than a typical ravioli — before a filling of cooked ham, mozzarella and ricotta spoons onto half of each disc, which then folds and seals into a half-moon or fully round pocket. They boil briefly until the pasta cooks through and the filling warms, then serve in a sauce, most often a simple cream or tomato base, sometimes with a few fresh herbs or a touch of ham stirred through.

The size and shape are what separate them from ravioli, not the filling alone. A sorrentino is meant to be substantial — a few per plate is a full portion, unlike the many small ravioli that typically make up a serving of that dish.

How it's served

• In a shallow bowl, sauce ladled over, a few pieces to a portion.
• With cream sauce, tomato sauce, or a mix of both split down the plate.
• As a main course, rarely as a starter given the portion size.

How to write it on the menu

• Flag the wheat and egg in the pasta and the dairy in the filling.
• Say what the filling is, since ham-and-cheese is standard but vegetable versions exist.
• Note the sauce, since cream and tomato versions are both common and taste quite different.