P
Italian · Lucca
Tordelli Lucchesi con Ragù di Carne e Erbe
Lucca's pasta — a large, oval filled pasta unique to the Lucca area, with a filling that contains both meat (pork, veal, or rabbit) and a green herb-cheese component (ricotta, spinach, Parmigiano, lemon zest). Unlike other Tuscan filled pasta, tordelli includes both meat and green in a single filling — a preparation that reflects Lucca's medieval position as a wealthy trading city that could afford more complex preparations. Dressed with a meat ragù — the filling and the sauce both contain meat, creating an echo effect.
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
For the pasta dough
400 g
tipo 00 flour
Your own market
4
eggs
Your own market
1
lemon
zest only, half the zest into the dough
Your own market
For the braised meat (filling and ragù base combined)
500 g
pork shoulder
or rabbit; braised and finely chopped, divided equally between filling and ragù
Your own market
250 g
veal
for the ragù portion
Your own market
150 ml
dry white wine
for deglazing the ragù
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
100 ml
tomato passata
small amount only; the ragù is not a tomato sauce
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the herb-ricotta filling component
250 g
ricotta
well-drained
Your own market
200 g
spinach
cooked, squeezed dry, finely chopped
Your own market
60 g
Parmigiano Reggiano
aged, finely grated
Your own market
1 tsp
nutmeg
freshly grated
Your own market
1
lemon
zest only; the remaining zest from the dough lemon, plus a second lemon for the filling
Your own market
1 tbsp
Vin Santo
added to the braised meat portion of the filling
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
To finish
40 g
Parmigiano Reggiano
aged, finely grated, for serving
Your own market
II
The Method
1
Braise the pork shoulder (or rabbit) in a covered pot with a little white wine and aromatics until fully tender. Remove, cool, and chop finely by hand — not in a machine, which compacts the texture. Divide the chopped braised meat equally: one half goes to the filling, one half into the ragù. This is the single act that produces the double-meat echo. The filling portion is done when the pieces are fine enough to form a cohesive mass but retain individual texture.
2
Make the ragù. Combine the ragù portion of the braised pork with the veal in a wide pan over medium heat. Deglaze with the white wine and allow it to reduce until the sharp alcohol smell dissipates. Add the tomato passata. Simmer on a low flame, partially covered, until the sauce is dense and unctuous — the ragù is ready when a spoon drawn across the base of the pan leaves a channel that closes slowly.
3
Prepare the herb-ricotta component of the filling. Combine the drained ricotta, chopped spinach, grated Parmigiano, nutmeg, and the zest of one full lemon. Mix until homogeneous. Keep this component separate from the braised meat portion. Combine the two filling components — braised meat with its Vin Santo, and the herb-ricotta — only at the last moment before filling. Rest the combined filling in the refrigerator overnight; it is ready when firm enough to hold a clean quenelle without slumping.
4
Make the pasta dough. Mound the flour on a work surface, make a well, and break in the eggs. Add the zest of half a lemon. Work from the centre outward until a rough dough forms, then knead for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. It is ready when it springs back slowly under a pressed thumb and shows a silky, barely tacky surface. Wrap and rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
5
Roll the dough thin — thinner than standard filled pasta, to balance the substantial filling. Cut into ovals of 8 × 5 cm. Place a modest amount of filling at the centre of each oval: the large size is already substantial and overfilling causes bursting. Fold and seal firmly, pressing the air out from the centre toward the edge. The sealed edge must show no air pockets and hold fast under light pressure.
6
Cook the tordelli in abundant salted boiling water. Because of their size and the density of the filling, they require longer than standard filled pasta. They are ready when they rise to the surface and the sealed edge yields to gentle pressure without resistance — taste one; the pasta should be tender but without rawness at the fold.
7
Dress with the warm ragù. Finish with aged Parmigiano Reggiano grated at the table. The dish is complete when filling and sauce read as related but distinct — meat in both, but the filling carrying its citrus and herb thread and the sauce its wine-and-tomato depth.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Rabbit braised same day from a Lucca butcher; aged 36-month Parmigiano Reggiano DOP; ricotta from sheep's milk; lemon from Lucca's nearby Versilia coast; Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice for the filling.
02
Estate — Free-range pork shoulder braised the day before; 24-month Parmigiano Reggiano DOP; good-quality cow's milk ricotta, well-drained; unwaxed Sicilian lemon for its clean zest; a Tuscan Vin Santo.
03
Market — Supermarket pork shoulder braised competently; Parmigiano Reggiano from any reputable source; standard ricotta pressed overnight in a sieve; any unwaxed lemon.
04
House — Mixed pork mince substituted for braised shoulder — the filling will lack distinct texture; block Parmigiano of uncertain age; pre-washed bagged spinach; lemon zest omitted — this last concession surrenders the Lucca specificity of the dish entirely.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. Braised meat is chopped fine enough to cohere but retains individual texture when pressed between the fingers.
◇Sight. Ragù: a spoon drawn across the pan base leaves a channel that closes slowly — neither liquid nor dry.
◇Touch. Combined filling holds a clean quenelle without slumping after overnight refrigeration.
◇Touch. Pasta dough springs back slowly under a pressed thumb and shows a silky, barely tacky surface.
◇Touch. Sealed tordelli edge holds under light pressure with no air pockets visible or felt along the border.
◇Smell. Deglazing wine: sharp alcohol smell fully dissipated before tomato is added.
◇Where it lives or dies. The tordelli lives or dies at the moment of shaping: modest filling, air expelled, edge sealed without gaps — too much filling or a failed seal causes bursting in the pot and the loss of everything the filling was built to hold.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Fortified wine
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The whole pairingPillar VII
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