Tortelli d'Erbe con Sugo di Funghi Rosso

Tortelli d’Erbe con Sugo di Funghi Rosso is a stuffed pasta dish from the Romagna sub‑region of Emilia‑Romagna, particularly associated with the Apennine town of Premilcuore. The name translates to “herb tortelli with red mushroom sauce.” The dish is a specialty of **Trattoria del Cervo** in Premilcuore, as documented on the food‑discovery platform *Sentieri Golosi*.

The key ingredients are a thin egg‑pasta dough filled with a mixture of wild herbs—typically including chard, spinach, borage, and sometimes nettle—often bound with ricotta and Parmigiano‑Reggiano. The sauce, *sugo di funghi rosso*, combines porcini or mixed forest mushrooms with a modest amount of tomato, creating a deep, earthy, slightly acidic counterpart to the herbal sweetness of the filling.

A great version is distinguished by the delicate, hand‑rolled pasta, a filling that tastes distinctly of the herbs rather than being dominated by cheese, and a sauce where the mushrooms remain the star, with tomato used only to deepen color and flavor without overwhelming. The pasta should be cooked just past al dente, absorbing a thin layer of sauce.

Regional variations exist within Romagna: some versions omit tomato entirely, using a cream‑based or butter‑and‑sage sauce; others add potatoes or leeks to the filling. In the mountainous areas around Premilcuore, the use of local porcini and bitter greens remains a point of pride. The dish exemplifies the cucina povera tradition, transforming foraged greens into a refined first course.