Tortellini

Tortellini are small ring-shaped stuffed pasta from Emilia-Romagna, folded around a filling of pork, mortadella and parmesan. Traditionally they're served afloat in a clear broth rather than tossed with sauce — the broth is the classic way to eat them, not a lesser alternative to it.

What it actually is

A rich filling of minced pork, mortadella, prosciutto and grated parmesan, bound with egg and a touch of nutmeg, is dabbed onto small squares of egg pasta. Each square is folded into a triangle, then wrapped around a fingertip and pinched at the ends into the small ring — a shape the local legend claims was modelled on a woman's navel, glimpsed by a innkeeper through a keyhole.

Made properly small — genuinely no bigger than a thumbnail — they cook through in a couple of minutes at a gentle simmer, which is exactly why tortellini in brodo works: the pasta is thin enough to cook fully in a broth that never gets hot enough to boil it hard.

How it's served

• In brodo, afloat in a clear, hot broth, the traditional Emilia-Romagna way.
• With butter or cream, in a lighter, drier version outside the region.
• Freshly made, since the thin casing dries out quickly once cut.

Writing it on a menu

• Flag gluten, egg and dairy; the pasta casing and filling carry all three.
• Note the cured pork in the mortadella and prosciutto filling plainly.
• Say whether it's served in brodo or with a sauce, since the two are genuinely different dishes under one name.
• Mention if the filling is made in-house, since the classic three-meat mix is a real point of craft.