Cappelletti with Wild Mushroom Sauce

Think of this cheese-filled pasta (whose name translates as "little hats") as inside-out tortellini. These cappelletti are served in a simple sauté of wild mushrooms, deglazed with white wine.Watch the Fine Cooking Culinary School Video Series where the authors show you how to make this dish, as well as eight other handmade pastas.  

• 1/2 lb. ricotta
• 1/2 lb. squaquerone cheese (or substitute stracchino, teleme, or basket cheese)
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese
• 1 egg
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 recipe basic pasta dough
• 1 shallot, cut into fine dice
• 2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. sliced mixed wild mushrooms (oyster, cremini, shiitake)
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, squaquerone, Parmigiano Reggiano, pecorino, egg, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.


Divide the pasta dough into 6 pieces. Using a pasta machine, roll each piece out, starting with the widest setting and ending with the thinnest. Cut the pasta sheets into 2-inch squares. Place 1 tsp. of filling in the center of each square. Fold the square into triangles and press firmly to secure the filling. Bring the two bottom points of each triangle together to form the “little hats.” Place the cappelletti on a lightly floured sheet pan and continue filling the rest of the pasta.


Make the sauce: sauté the shallot in 2 Tbs. of olive oil over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms release their liquid, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add the white wine and let reduce by half.


Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. Drop the cappelletti into the water and cook until they start to float to the top, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss in the sauté pan with the mushrooms. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve in individual shallow bowls.