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The characteristics
The tortelli di patate are soft, square, yellow ravioli filled with mashed potato cheese, garlic and parsley. They smell like fresh pasta and taste like potatoes.
The history
The traditional quality of this tortello comes from the particular combination of ingredients and the cooking method, which has remained untouched through the ages.
This stuffed pasta has been a part of the Tuscan and Romagnola diet for centuries. In 1400 the poet Pucci, from the court of Lorenzo the Magnificent, wrote:
Ma soprattutto del buon vino ho fede
Credo che sia salvo chi gli crede
Credo nella torta e nel tortello
L’uno è la madre e l’altro il suo figliolo…
(I believe in good wine
Those who drink it will be fine
I believe in cake and the tortello
Mother is one, son is the other…)
The tortello di patate was born from poverty: the filling was made from the first potato harvest in 1800. In fact, the filling is an alternative to the chestnut stuffing used in the Apennine areas.
The use of local potatoes in the making of the tortello give it a smooth quality that is very much appreciated.
Traditional recipe:
For the pasta:
- ½ kg of flour
- 5 eggs
- a pinch of salt.
For the filling:
- 1kg of potatoes
- garlic
- salt
- pepper
- nutmeg
 A dish of Tortello di patate
Boil the potatoes with the peel. Mash finely while still hot. Add nutmeg, salt, pepper and the stir-fried garlic and parsley.
Roll out the past dough – made from the eggs, flour and salt – into long strips 10 cm wide.
Prepare little balls of filling and place them onto the pasta every 3-5 cm. Fold the pasta onto itself. Press the pasta around the filling by exerting pressure with your fingers.
Trim into shape with the pastry cutter. Press the edges closed with a fork to prevent the filling from falling out during the cooking process.
It is a first dish and can be served with meat sauce made with beef, goose, rabbit, wild boar or mushrooms, and accompanied by a hearty red wine.
Where it is produced
Only two fairly big bakeries prepare tortelli di patate in Mugello. It is, however, served in restaurants, sold in local shops and supermarkets.
Some small producers and restaurants prepare fresh tortelli di patate.
In spring and summer, numerous food fairs offer this specialty.
| A & O Alimentari Rosticceria | Town: Firenzuola Phone: + 39 055 8198898 - 339 5360313 | Production and sale of hand-made egg fresh pasta: tortelli di patate, tortelli di ricotta e spinaci, tortelli di zucca, tortelli di marroni, tagliatelle, tagliolini, ribollita, zuppa di farro (spelt soup), tortellini, cappelletti, lasagne e gnocchi.
Production and sale of typical local sweet foods: castagnaccio (flat cake made with chestnut flour), torta di marroni (the typical sweet made with chestnuts), jam tarts, latte alla portoghese, cantucci.
| | | | ALIMENTARI TAGLIAFERRI | Town: Borgo San Lorenzo Phone: +39 055 8494444 | Production and sale of fresh pasta. | | | | Coop.va di consumo POLCANTO | Town: Borgo San Lorenzo Phone: +39 055 8409914 Fax: +39 055 8409914 | Sale of local rosato, red and white local wine, bottled and wine on tap, bread, marrone flour, Mugello truffles, fresh pasta, local tortelli, cheeses and honey. | | | | CUORE DI PASTA | Town: Palazzuolo sul Senio Phone: +39 392 5741667 - 338 7815310 | Workshop of hand-made egg pasta and pasta filled with medicinal herbs: seasonal products that respect the natural cycle of plants and exalt their benefits. The workshop produces also the famous "Tortello" : it is an evergreen type of pasta, filled with potatoes, typical of Mugello. We call it "Maghinardo". Using excellent local raw materials, the workshop looks with special care to the most discerning and sensible guests: children. You can taste their products also in the hotel and restaurant "Antica Locanda& Country Chic". Opening time: from Friday to Sunday 9.30am – 12.30pm and 2.30pm – 6.30pm | | | | CUORE DI PASTA | Town: Palazzuolo sul Senio Phone: +39 392 5741667 - 338 7815310 | Workshop of hand-made egg pasta and pasta filled with medicinal herbs: seasonal products that respect the natural cycle of plants and exalt their benefits. The workshop produces also the famous "Tortello" : it is an evergreen type of pasta, filled with potatoes, typical of Mugello. We call it "Maghinardo". Using excellent local raw materials, the workshop looks with special care to the most discerning and sensible guests: children. You can taste their products also in the hotel and restaurant "Antica Locanda& Country Chic". Opening time: from Friday to Sunday 9.30am – 12.30pm and 2.30pm – 6.30pm | | | | LA PASTIERA | Town: Scarperia Phone: 055 8430948 | fresh pasta like: tortelli, ravioli, tagliatelle, taglierini and maccheroni. | | | | PASTA FRESCA | Town: Firenzuola Phone: + 39 055 8199620 | Production and sale of hand-made egg fresh pasta: tortelli di patate, tortelli di ricotta e spinaci, tortelli di ortica e ricotta, tortelli di ricotta e strigoli, tortellini, tortelli di marroni, tagliatelle, tagliolini, capellini, gnocchi, lasagne, lasagne con i porri, passatelli e zuppa imperiale.
| | | | PASTIFICIO SAN LORENZO | Town: Borgo San Lorenzo Phone: +39 055 8455260 Fax: + 39 055 8455923 | Production and sale of hand-made egg fresh pasta: tortelli di patate, ravioli ricotta, tagliatelle, pappardelle, tagliolini, quadrucci al gorgonzola, ravioli al tartufo, cappelletti mignon e cappelletti, gnocchi, tagliatelle paglia e fieno.
| | | | ROSTICCERIA DA PAOLO E ALBA | Town: Firenzuola Phone: +39 055 819351 Fax: +39 055 819502 | Production and sale of hand-made egg fresh pasta: tortelli di patate, tortelli di ricotta e spinaci, lasagne, tagliatelle, tagliolini, tortellini. | | | | ROSTICCERIA LE DELIZIE DEL PALATO | Town: Marradi Phone: + 39 055 8042578 | Production and sale of hand-made egg fresh pasta: tortelli di patate, tortelli di ricotta e spinaci, tortelli di marroni, tagliatelle, cappelletti, gnocchi, lasagne, cannelloni and mezze lune stuffed with robiola cheese and speck. | | |
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