This site is dedicated to self-learning Italian from scratch. We will try to make it the most interesting and useful for everyone who is interested in this beautiful language and, of course, Italy itself.

Interesting about the Italian language.
History, facts, modernity.
Let's start with a few words about the modern status of the language; it is obvious that Italian is the official language in Italy, the Vatican (simultaneously with Latin), in San Marino, but also in Switzerland (in its Italian part, the canton of Ticino) and in Several districts in Croatia and Slovenia, where a large Italian-speaking population lives, Italian is also spoken by some of the residents on the island of Malta.

Italian dialects - will we understand each other?

In Italy itself, even today you can hear many dialects, sometimes it is enough to travel only a few tens of kilometers to encounter another of them.
Moreover, dialects are often so different from each other that they can seem like completely different languages. If people from, for example, the northern and central Italian “outback” meet, they may not even be able to understand each other.
What is especially interesting is that some dialects, in addition to the oral form, also have a written form, such as the Neopolitan, Venetian, Milanese and Sicilian dialects.
The latter exists, accordingly, on the island of Sicily and is so different from other dialects that some researchers distinguish it as a separate Sardinian language.
However, in everyday communication and, especially, in large cities, you are unlikely to experience any inconvenience, because... Today, dialects are spoken mainly by older people in rural areas, while young people use the correct literary language, which unites all Italians, the language of radio and, of course, television.
It may be mentioned here that until the end of the Second World War, modern Italian was only a written language, used by the ruling class, scientists and in administrative institutions, and it was television that played a big role in the spread of the common Italian language among all inhabitants.

How it all began, origins

The history of the formation of modern Italian, as we all know it, is closely connected with the history of Italy and, of course, no less fascinating.
Origins - in Ancient Rome, everything was in the Roman language, commonly known as Latin, which at that time was the official state language of the Roman Empire. Later, from Latin, in fact, the Italian language and many other European languages ​​arose.
Therefore, knowing Latin, you can understand what a Spaniard is saying, plus or minus a Portuguese, and you can even understand part of the speech of an Englishman or a Frenchman.
In 476, the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, abdicated the throne after the capture of Rome by the German leader Odoacar, this date is considered the end of the Great Roman Empire.
Some also call it the end of the “Roman language”, however, even today disputes still rage as to why exactly the Latin language lost its relevance, because of the capture of the Roman Empire by barbarians or was it a natural process and in what language? spoken towards the end of the Roman Empire.
According to one version, in ancient Rome by this time, along with Latin, the spoken language was already widespread, and it is from this popular language of Rome that the Italian that we know as Italian of the 16th century comes from, according to the second version, in connection with the invasion of the barbarians Latin mixed with various barbarian languages ​​and dialects, and it is from this synthesis that the Italian language originates.

Birthday - first mention

The year 960 is considered the birthday of the Italian language. This date is associated with the first document where this “proto-vernacular language” is present - vulgare, these are court papers related to the land litigation of the Benedictine Abbey, witnesses used this particular version of the language so that the testimony would be understandable to as many people as possible, up to this point in all official papers we can only see Latin.
And then there was a gradual spread in the ubiquitous life of the language vulgare, which translates as the people's language, which became the prototype of the modern Italian language.
However, the story does not end there, but only becomes more interesting and the next stage is associated with the Renaissance and with such well-known names as Dante Alighiere, F. Petrarch, G. Boccaccio and others.
to be continued...

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Italian language tutorial

I present a new separate section for all Italian language learners - Italian Language Self-Teacher for Beginners.
Making a blog into a full-fledged Italian tutorial is, of course, not easy, but I try to give the most convenient and logical sequence of interesting online lessons so that you can learn Italian on your own.
There will also be a section - an audio tutorial, where, as you might guess, there will be lessons with audio applications that can be downloaded or listened to directly on the site.
How to choose an Italian language tutorial, where to download it, or how to study it online, you will find information about this in my posts.
By the way, if anyone has ideas or suggestions on how best to organize such a tutorial on our Italian blog, be sure to write to me.

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in the section " Tortellini and Italian pasta dough recipe

There is nothing better and tastier than homemade pasta; no store-bought dry pasta or ready-made ravioli can ever compete in taste with homemade ones. Today we will prepare tortellini - Italian fresh pasta with meat filling, very similar in appearance to our dumplings, only very small.

Tortellini comes from the Emilia-Romagna region. The word tortellino is a diminutive of tortello, which, in turn, comes from the word torta - cake. Why this name? Yes, simply because small tortellini, just like a birthday cake, are always the center of attention, and besides, this is not an ordinary pasta, but a filled pasta, which also brings it closer to a cake (after all, we fill it with cream, fruit, etc.)
It is still unknown exactly in which city tortellini was first invented; two Italian cities, Modena and Bologna, are arguing for the right to be called their homeland.

According to the official recipe, recognized as the original, the filling for tortellini consists of: pork, raw smoked Parma ham (prosciutto di Parma), boiled Bolognese sausage, Parmigiano cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano), eggs and nutmeg. The dough is prepared only from flour and eggs, the size of the cut dough for tortellini is 4 cm in diameter (if cut into circles) or 4 cm on each side (if cut into squares).

But, of course, every family has its own variations of the tortellini recipe; they often add veal or even chicken to the pork, and slightly change the composition of the filling, depending on what products are available at home.
Italian pasta dough recipe:
This dough recipe is universal, it can be used to prepare any types of pasta - tagliatelle, ravioli, farfalle, tortellini... and also make lasagna sheets from it.
Classic proportion of dough ingredients:

For 1 egg - 100 g of flour (to this you can add 1/8 tsp of salt and (to your taste) another 1/4 tsp of olive oil).

But because eggs come in different sizes, I often use a slightly different proportion, which I found from Elena elaizik (for which I thank her very much!):

For 2 parts eggs - 3 parts flour. Those. eggs without shells need to be weighed, the weight divided by two and the resulting figure multiplied by three - this will be the weight of the flour we need.

If you don’t have exact scales, you can use the classic proportion, but do not add all the flour at once, leave a little and add it at the end of kneading, if necessary.

The pasta dough is kneaded at the rate of approximately one egg per person (if pasta is the main dish).

So, prepare the dough for tortellini:

Measure out the required amount of ingredients. My three eggs weighed about 160 g, so I took 240 g of flour.

Pour the flour into a deep, wide bowl and make a well in the center. Beat eggs at room temperature with a fork and pour into this well (you can pour in some of the eggs first, and add the rest during the mixing process). Add a little salt and olive oil there if you add it. Stir the eggs with a fork, gradually grabbing the flour from the edges.

This way you will need to mix all the flour with the eggs (you may need to help a little with your hands at the end). Roll the resulting rough dough into a ball and place on a floured board. And knead the dough with your hands for 10 minutes, just as you would with yeast dough. Those. grabbing the top of the dough with your fingers and pressing the bottom with your palm, while turning the dough from side to side. The dough may stick to the board and your hands, but it's best not to add too much extra flour to it. I try to knead this sticky dough on the board, and during the entire time of kneading I scrape it off the board with a knife 2-3 times, clean it off my hands, lightly grease my hands with vegetable oil, and knead again.


The finished dough is smooth, very soft, elastic and pliable. It may still be a little sticky (depending on your flour), but it will be much easier to peel off the board and your hands. The dough can be stretched to thinness without breaking.

The finished dough needs to be stretched to the sides several times and folded into a ball again, this will help strengthen the gluten even more. Then wrap it in film and put it in the refrigerator for at least three hours, or better yet overnight: during this time the dough will ripen and become even more elastic and easy to work with.

Filling for tortellini:

As I already wrote above, the composition of the filling may be different, I will describe the one that I usually use.

Ingredients (approximate quantity for three egg dough):

50 g turkey or chicken meat

100 g pork

100 g Parma ham

100 g boiled sausage

100-150 g grated Parmesan cheese (you can use other cheese, but Parmesan tastes best)

Salt, a pinch of nutmeg, pepper to taste

Oil for frying.

*This composition is approximate, I sometimes change it. This time I took: 250 g of chicken meat (instead of chicken + pork + sausage), 100 g of boiled ham (instead of raw smoked), and a little less than 100 g of cheese.

Cut the meat into small pieces, fry for 10 minutes until golden brown, cool.

Mix in a food processor or blender with ham and sausage, add eggs and grind until smooth. Place in a bowl, add salt, spices, grated cheese and mix everything well (preferably with your hands). Leave the resulting minced meat in the refrigerator for several hours, or better yet, overnight.

Preparing tortellini:

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it warm up a little. Separate a portion the size of a small apple from the dough, wrap the rest of the dough back in film. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a floured board. The dough will need to not just be rolled out, but stretched with a rolling pin from the center to the edges; it is very elastic. It is better not to dust the board and rolling pin with a large amount of flour, because... With excess flour, the dough begins to lose moisture and becomes less elastic.

The thickness of the tortellini dough should be less than 1 mm, the dough should be very thin and translucent.

Having rolled out the dough to the required thickness, cut out circles with a diameter of 4 cm. Take each circle, put a little filling on it, fold it in the shape of a crescent and pinch the edges like regular dumplings. It is better to cover rolled out dough that you are temporarily not using with a slightly damp towel to prevent it from drying out.

These are the crumby dumplings you get!
You can also cut the dough not into circles, but into squares with sides of 4 cm. Then the tortellini will turn out as if “in handkerchiefs”.

From the amount of ingredients that I indicated, I get about 500 g of tortellini.

Prepared tortellini can be frozen until served. They are most often served in broth, or with any sauces of your choice. You can also fry or bake the tortellini.

Finally, I want to say that even if you really love dumplings and don’t want to “cheat” on them, be sure to try Italian tortellini - they are similar only in appearance, but their taste is completely different...

http://gotovim-doma.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=258&t=31379

No matter how attractive the classics are, for domestic tables it is more common to taste dumplings with meat. We bring to your attention a recipe for ravioli with mixed meat filling. However, you have the right to choose the type of content at your discretion.

Required ingredients:

for test

• Wheat flour – 300 g;
• Eggs – 3 pcs.;
• Semolina for sprinkling.

for filling

• Fried beef – 150 g;
• Boiled beef – 70 g;
• Ham – 30 g;
• Boiled sausage – 30 g;
• Egg – 1 pc.;
• Grated hard cheese (Parmesan) – 40 g;
• Nutmeg - a pinch;
• Salt to taste.

for filing

• Tomato sauce (ketchup) – 400 g.

The procedure for preparing dough for ravioli with meat does not differ from that described above. Therefore, let’s move straight to the stage of forming the filling. To do this, cut all the meat, ham and sausage into slices. Add ½ part of grated cheese, egg, nutmeg and salt. Mix well.

We form ravioli with meat in the same way as given in the classic recipe. Spread the filling with a spoon.

Cook in salted boiling water for about 10 minutes. To serve, season the hot dish with tomato sauce and the remaining hard cheese.

Calorie content and benefits

It is not surprising that the classic ravioli recipe is very popular in Italy. After all, 100 g of such a dish contains only 149 kcal, which consist of:

• Proteins – 8.9 g;
• Fats – 5.5 g;
• Carbohydrates – 17.1 g.

Ricotta is an excellent source of calcium, which promotes healthy bones and teeth and is involved in important processes in the human body. Spinach is a storehouse of dietary fiber that helps the digestive system function properly.

But, with all the advantages, do not forget about the cholesterol content in the food (58.2 mg per 100 g). Therefore, people who have problems with excess weight and excess cholesterol levels should consult a doctor before enjoying the Italian delicacy.

The total calorie content of other types of ravioli depends almost entirely on the type of filling. Meat options have greater nutritional value, fish and vegetable options have less.

The article about “foreign dumplings” smoothly came to an end. We hope you now dare to add a little bit of Italy to your kitchen. Live openly, love secretly, cook with joy and remember: “You can live on decoctions for a very long time if you boil ravioli!”

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In Italian cuisine, everyone finds something especially favorite - some like pizza, some like pasta with minced meat, and some like tortellini - these are the same dumplings, but in Italian. They belong to the “pasta” family and are prepared throughout the country. The dough is unleavened, and they are made with meat, cheese and vegetable fillings. We offer you a tortellini recipe, according to which you can create a delicious corner of Italy in your home.

There are two legends about the origin of tortellini. According to the first, they were created by an inexperienced cook who prepared pasta with meat and wrapped the tails of the dough around his little finger, thereby repeating the shape of his beloved’s navel. According to the second, the cook watched how Venus herself undressed and embodied her beauty in the dish, because tortellini resembles rosebuds, since their corners touch each other.

Types of tortellini

Tortellini is made in different colors by adding tomatoes or spinach to the dough. Italian dumplings are divided into large type (tortelloni) and small type (tortelletti). The meat filling is based on ham or chicken, and the cheese filling is Parmesan. Dumplings from Italy are served with sauces: creamy, mushroom, Bolognese. Today we will look at the option of serving this dish with tomato sauce.

Ingredients:

Chicken fillet, half a kilo;
red onion;
flour, half a kilo;
eggs, three pcs.;
water, half a glass;
starch, one tsp;
olive oil, two tablespoons;
salt;
pepper;
bell pepper;
garlic;
green;
canned tomatoes, 250 gr.

Preparation:

For the tortellini recipe, first make the dough. To do this, pour eggs, olive oil and three tablespoons into a small hole in the flour. water. The ingredients should be mixed with two knives, then knead the dough with your hands until it becomes elastic. It is allowed to add additional water if necessary. When everything is kneaded, the dough should be covered with a kitchen towel and left alone for about forty minutes.

Now let's start with the filling - it will be meat. Grind the fillet and onion, add finely chopped herbs, salt and pepper. Mix everything thoroughly until it has a homogeneous texture.

After the specified time has passed, we begin sculpting. Cut a quarter of the dough and roll it out on the table in a thin layer. Cover the rest of the dough with a towel again to prevent it from drying out. Using a glass, cut out circles and place the filling in them, placing it on half of the circle. Using a kitchen brush, wet the empty half of the circle and roll the dumpling into a crescent shape. Then wrap the ends around your little finger and connect the edges of the dough, moistening them with water.

Heat a pan of water on the stove. Pour a couple of tablespoons of sunflower oil into it and throw in the tortellini. Cook, then remove to a plate using a slotted spoon and cover them with another plate or lid to keep them warm.

According to the tortellini recipe, all that remains is to prepare the sauce. This is done like this: pour olive oil into a frying pan, “fry” crushed garlic, add chopped onions and peppers. Place and grind the canned tomatoes in a blender, pour the mixture into the frying pan. Salt, pepper and add herbs. Dilute one tablespoon. water starch and pour into the sauce. Simmer for all five minutes. Now remove from the stove and put the boiled Italian dumplings in the sauce. Can be served.

Our simple tortellini recipe will definitely please your household, and therefore beautiful dumplings originally from Italy will become frequent guests in your kitchen. Bon appetit!

Tortellini are miniature Italian dumplings made from unleavened dough with a juicy filling. They are made not only with cheese and vegetables, but also with chicken or pork ham. Their corners must be connected, and the shape is similar to a bud or ring. The color of the dough may vary and depends on the additives. When you add tomato it will turn red, but with spinach it will turn green. The dish is usually served with creamy, tomato or mushroom sauce, or in broth.

The calorie content of a dish depends on its components and varies from 272 to 371 kcal.

Tortellini recipes with photos will help you more clearly see all the nuances of preparation.

Cooking tortellini

Let's look at how to cook tortellini correctly. Place them in a container with boiling salted water, of which there should be a sufficient amount. Cook for three to eight minutes (cooking time depends on the size of the product and the filling), close with a lid. The dumplings are considered fully prepared when they all rise to the water surface. Remove them using a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl.

Dish with spinach and cheese

To prepare tortellini with spinach and cheese, you don’t have to have any culinary knowledge: even a novice housewife can make the dough and filling for it.

Required ingredients:

• 20 ml olive oil;
• 250 g spinach;
• 12 pieces of cherry tomatoes;
• 200 g ricotta;
• 400 g flour;
• 40 g Parmesan cheese (grated);
• 60 ml water;
• 3 eggs;
• Salt, ground black pepper, ground nutmeg - to taste.

Cooking plan at home:

1. Beat the eggs a little with water, olive oil and salt;
2. Add flour to the egg mixture and knead into an elastic dough. Leave it for 20 minutes, covering with a towel;
3. Boil the spinach in salted water for about five minutes until tender, chop finely;
4. Mix Parmesan and ricotta with spinach, add salt, pepper, season with nutmeg to taste, stir;
5. Roll out the dough into a thin layer, use a glass to make circles - approximately 6 cm in diameter;
6. Place the filling in the middle of the dough and brush the edges of the dough with beaten egg. Carefully seal the edges and connect the corners of the products;
7. In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil, add salt, and cook our Italian dumplings for about five minutes until they float to the surface.

Decorate the dish with cherry tomatoes, grated cheese and serve to the table.

Mushroom and cheese dish

Tortellini with mushrooms and cheese turns out very juicy and aromatic. It makes the perfect hearty lunch or dinner.

Required Products:

For the test:

• 10-11 yolks;
• 250 g flour.

For the filling:

• Mushrooms (fresh, frozen, from a jar), preferably champignons – 170 g;
• Mint;
• Garlic – 2 cloves;
• Curd cheese – 150 g;
• Onion (preferably red);
• Lemon zest;
• Mushroom broth (for cooking products).

Stages of work step by step:

1. You can use a mixer, or do everything by hand. Pour flour into a bowl, add 10 yolks. Using a spatula attachment, mix everything thoroughly;
2. If the dough “goes” into grains, mix in the eleventh yolk. The finished dough mass should be elastic and not stick to your hands;
3. Roll it into a ball yourself and put it in film for about an hour.

1. Remove excess liquid from frozen (or jar) mushrooms and cut into medium pieces;
2. Chop a certain amount of mint (at your discretion), onion, and garlic. Place everything in a blender bowl. Don't forget to add butter;
3. We get mushroom paste, which must be fried in a dry frying pan for no more than five minutes. Cool for ten minutes;
4. Combine cottage cheese (or any small cottage cheese) and grated lemon zest in a container. Add mushroom paste, stir well;
5. Let's keep the mixture in the refrigerator for about forty minutes so that the filling is firm;
6. We divide the dough ball into 4 parts, each of which we roll out into a layer 2-3 mm thick. Cut out circles with a pastry cutter (or glass);
7. Next, we do everything the same as in the first recipe. You can make dumplings as shown in the photo.

Tortellini primavera

Translated from Italian, “primavera” means spring. The tandem of broccoli and carrot florets adds a fresh and unique taste to dumplings, and is great as a dressing.

You will need:

For the tortellini:

• Ricotta – 250 g;
• Flour – 200 g;
• Parmesan (grated) – 2-3 tablespoons;
• Egg – 2 pieces;
• Basil (leaves) – 9-10 pieces;
• Olive oil – 2 large spoons;
• Salt is at your discretion.

For the pesto sauce:

• Garlic – 2 cloves;
• Grated Parmesan – 50 g;
• Basil leaves – 10 pieces;
• Pine nuts 60-70 g;
• Olive oil – 110-120 g;
• Salt - to taste.

As an addition:

• Broccoli inflorescences – 7-8 pieces;
• Young zucchini - a little less than half;
• Carrots – 5 pieces;
• Young peas - 11-12 pods;
• Chicken broth (or salted water).

Cooking instructions:

1. The recipe for tortellini dough is very simple - it is quickly kneaded using eggs, flour and olive oil. The testa should “rest” for half an hour, wrapped in film;
2. Finely chop the basil. For the filling, combine ricotta, Parmesan, basil, and add salt;
3. Roll out the dough thinly and cut into squares (about 5*5 cm). Wrap it in film again;
4. Let's unfold the squares so that we get a rhombus, in the middle of which we put the filling. In order for the edges of the dough to stick well, you need to moisten them a little with water;
5. Place your little finger on the center of the triangle and wrap it first with the left end of the workpiece, then with the right. Next, we blind the ends together and tuck them inward. Let's press down one more time;
6. Boil semi-finished products in water or chicken broth;
7. Cut the vegetables into medium pieces. First we stew the carrots, then add the zucchini, then the remaining vegetables. To do this, we use olive oil and add a little broth from our culinary masterpiece. Simmer everything until done, to your taste;
8. Mix all ingredients for pesto sauce in a food processor until smooth;
9. Place dumplings and vegetables in a large container, season with sauce, and mix.

Serve the tortellini primavera in a serving bowl. You can decorate the dish with slices of tomatoes and basil.

Tortellini soup

This is an original and very tasty culinary masterpiece.

Description of components for two liters of water:

• Frozen vegetable mixture (green peas, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower) – 400 g;
• Bulb;
• Dumplings with any filling – ¼ kg;
• Garlic – 2 cloves;
• Olive oil – about two tablespoons;
• Provençal herbs – taste;
• Ground white pepper, salt.

Cooking process:

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan, fry finely chopped garlic and onion in it;
2. Next is the turn of frozen vegetables. Fry them until completely melted. Fill with water, crush with pepper, Provençal herbs, and add some salt.
3. Cook the soup until the ingredients are almost completely cooked, taste;
4. Add dumplings to the soup and cook for 5-7 minutes.

Pour the finished tortellini soup into plates and sprinkle with finely chopped herbs.

Yeast with cheese in cream sauce

The dish is prepared very quickly and is perfect as a tasty treat for your guests.

List of ingredients:

• Cream (30%) – 0.5 liters;
• Gouda cheese;
• Tortellini – 300 g (with any filling);
• A little spinach;
• Ham – 200 g;
• Parmesan (grated) – 2 large spoons.

How to prepare a dish with cheese in creamy sauce:

1. Boil the dumplings until half cooked;
2. Pour the cream into a large frying pan. We wait until they boil, add salt and pepper;
3. Add the cheese in small portions, starting from one tablespoon, then at your discretion. It should be completely dissolved in the sauce, so be sure to stir it thoroughly. It is better to make the sauce thick;
4. Add parmesan;
5. Add ham (in parts), spinach, stir;
6. Now it's the dumplings' turn. Place them in a frying pan and let them boil. They should warm up thoroughly and soak in the sauce.

The finished culinary miracle can be sprinkled with basil, parsley, and served separately with cherry tomatoes and olives.

Video: Tortellini recipe from Grandma Emma