WHAT IS CAPPELLETTI?

Besides a love of consonants, these “little hats” are in the dumpling family of pastas. Originally they are from the northern region of Emilia-Romagna.  Myth has it they are named after the pointed hats of Spanish soldiers from the 1600s. Though from a bird’s eye view, this cut looks a bit like the classic Greek evil eye.  Cappelletti is a popular Christmas pasta.  Probably (in my opinion) because everyone comes back home for vacation then and making a bunch of these stuffed pastas takes a lot of labor.  This cut is similar to tortellini.  But instead of a meat stuffing cappelletti is usually filled with cheeses like ricotta or Parmesan Reggiano.  It is a great pasta cut to use when you have leftovers from other dishes that can be made into a stuffing.

WHERE IS CAPPELLETTI MADE?

They come from the Emilia-Romagna portion of Italy.  In particular cappelletti is quite popular in Modena (of balsamic vinegar fame) and Bologna (of Spaghetti Bolognese fame).  The Romagna region of Italy (or “little Romania” in the original Latin) considered cappelletti a food for the rich up through the Middle Ages.

THE CAPPELLETTI CONVENTION – MY PASTA IS SCREWING UP MY CARD GAME?

The card game bridge has long been hailed as a great way to stay sharp.  Some describe it as a game of skill with which to sharpen your wits.  Others talk of it mournfully like that first grey hair (another nail in the coffin of your youth).  The Cappelletti Convention is a defensive move to screw up your opponents hand.  Known for both being aggressive and painful when it works, it has no relation to the pasta other then a coincidence of name.

WHAT SAUCES GO WELL WITH THIS PASTA?

Like most dumplings, it is a popular ingredient in many broths and light soups.  Be careful if you’re looking to use this cut with a cheese sauce as the filling is already dairy-based.  It can be done, but you need to make sure your cream sauce (say a mascarpone base) works with your cheese filling (say a gorgonzola base).  If you’d like to see one of our recipes you can use with cappelletti check out our Amatriciana or Alfredo sauce!