Handmade Tortelloni
Head Chef/Owner Omar Tagliaventi
Address: La Bussola Italian Restaurant, Dutchman’s Bay, St. Georges, Antigua
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LaBussola
Tortellini is beautiful artisanal shaped pasta made from round, square or triangular cut shapes of pasta sheets.
There are several variations of this fresh egg-made pasta. Tortelloni is a slightly larger version of Tortellini and Cappellacci pasta and is folded from differently cut pasta sheets. The different shapes are born from the gastronomic wars between the “hill lands” and the “seaside” of Emilia-Romagna in Italy. That is why they call Emiliani the people of the hillside and Romagnoli the people of the seaside. There is much folklore surrounding the origin of the shape of Tortellini pastas and to this day the size, shape, fillings, sauces and even broths that it is served in vary vastly.
Handmade Tortelloni by La Bussola Restaurant
One romantic legend reveals that Venus, the goddess of love, once stayed at the local tavern in the town of Castelfranco Emilia, halfway between the gastronomic cities of Bologna and Modena. The innkeeper spied on his guest through the keyhole of her room, and got a partial glimpse of her. Struck by what he saw, he rushed to his kitchen, rolled out a sheet of fresh egg pasta and invented a shape inspired by Venus’ navel.
Handmade Tortelloni by La Bussola Restaurant
La Bussola’s excellent larger shaped Tortelloni pasta is handmade. The traditional pasta sheets are made with semolina, white flour and eggs, but the filling has an unexpected Caribbean inspired twist. It is made with braised Antiguan lobster tails with extra virgin olive oil and the sauce is a light Bolognese of shrimp, seasoned with garlic, extra virgin olive oil, fresh tomatoes and Italian flat parsley.
Handmade Tortelloni by La Bussola Restaurant