The story goes that the original recipe for the "Scrigno di Venere" (Venus's Casket) was born from the creativity of Chef Evio Battelani of the restaurant "Al Catunzein" in Bologna. Evio enjoyed revealing the secrets of his casket bite by bite, without revealing its contents beforehand. The connection to the capital of Emilia-Romagna is straightforward when considering the ingredients that compose this particular baked timbale. In fact, this first course, which could also be classified as a main dish, is nothing more than a basket of brisé pastry containing tortellini, ragù, béchamel, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
Why the reference to Venus?
The reference to Venus derives directly from the "divine" origin story of the tortellino. Among the various legends about the origin of this famous stuffed pasta, one has a mythological character and features the goddess of beauty herself as the protagonist. It is said that during the war between Modena and Bologna over the "Secchia rapita" (Stolen Bucket), Venus, Bacchus, and Mars, coming to Modena's aid, found refuge at the Corona inn (still existing) in Castelfranco Emilia. The following morning, Mars and Bacchus left the inn, leaving Venus asleep. Upon awakening, Venus, calling the innkeeper, displayed her navel. Enchanted by the perfect shape of that navel, the man tried to reproduce its features, thus creating the famous tortellino.
The Venus's casket
A delightful treasure chest for the most refined palates
DifficultyMedium
Preparation time40m
Cooking time30m
Servings4
Ingredients
- For the Tortellini:
- 200 g flour 00
- 2 eggs
- 300 g ground beef and pork
- 200 g mortadella
- 200 g prosciutto
- For the Meat Ragù:
- 1/2 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 300 g ground beef and pork
- Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
- 1/2 glass of white wine
- 200 g tomato passata
- Butter, as needed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- For the Brisée Pastry:
- 200 g flour 00
- 100 g butter
- 70 ml cold water
- For the Béchamel Sauce:
- 200 ml fresh milk
- 10 g butter
- 10 g flour 00
- 1 egg yolk for glazing
Method
- Start by preparing the egg pasta: make the traditional fountain with the sifted flour, add the eggs, and knead. Once you have obtained a smooth and soft dough, with the famous air bubbles inside, cover it with a bowl or cloth and set it aside to rest.
- Now prepare the brisé pastry by rubbing the flour with the butter; then, add the cold (almost icy) water, knead just enough to form a homogeneous and firm dough, and let it rest in the refrigerator.
- While the doughs are resting, prepare a minced mixture of shallot, carrot, and celery and sauté it in a pan with olive oil. Add the meat mixture, brown, and deglaze with the white wine over high flame to evaporate all the alcoholic part. Now add the tomato passata, mix well to combine everything, and when it starts to simmer, lower the flame to the minimum (use the smallest burner you have), season with salt and pepper. Put the lid on, then cook over very low heat for 40 minutes. Stir occasionally throughout the cooking, adding a couple of tablespoons of hot water if needed.
- Now let's move on to the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan with a thick bottom. Wait for the watery part to evaporate and add the sifted flour in one go. Cook for a few minutes and add the cold milk and nutmeg. Continue cooking until the béchamel is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Now let's prepare the tortellini. Put prosciutto, mortadella, and grana in a food processor and finely chop, then add the egg yolk to combine. From the rolled-out pasta, cut squares about 4 cm on each side (the tortellini must be very small), put a little filling in, fold the square over itself point to point to form a triangle, and press firmly on the edges to seal, then join the corners of the base together with a slight pressure. Cook the tortellini in plenty of salted boiling water for about 2 minutes.
- Finally, let's assemble the dish. Roll out the brisé pastry on a large piece of parchment paper, keeping some aside to cover the timbale. With the rolled-out pastry, without removing the parchment paper, line a baking dish.
- Season the tortellini with the desired amount of ragù and béchamel. Pour the pasta into the baking dish, lay the piece of brisé pastry kept aside on top to cover the dish, and seal the edges.
- Beat an egg yolk with 2-3 tablespoons of milk in a small bowl, then brush the surface of the timbale and bake in a preheated oven at 190°C for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, let it rest for a few minutes, unmold, and serve hot.
Discover our cooking classes
Do you feel like learning how to roll out pasta dough or mastering the art of closing tortellini like only the Emilians know how? Take a look at our cooking classes in Bologna dedicated to fresh pasta!