Recipe: Basil Tortelli with Red Mazara Prawns

Words by Belmond Editors
A fine dish of seafood pasta is assembled on a simple white plate on a shiny steel kitchen worktop

This dish is close to Roberto Toro’s heart. Our Executive Chef at Grand Hotel Timeo selected authentic ingredients from all over Sicily for this ode to his homeland. Pair it with a crisp rosé from the Etna region for true Sicilian delight.

Ingredients

  • 200g / 1 ¼ cups durum wheat semolina
  • 80g / ⅔ cup ‘00’ flour
  • 200g egg yolk (yolk of around 8 eggs)
  • 200g / 7 oz basil leaves
  • 100g / 3 ½ oz Pecorino cheese
  • 50g / ¼ cup Parmigiano cheese
  • 10g / ⅓ oz pine nuts
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 30g celery (around one small stalk)
  • 40g carrots (around one small carrot)
  • 60g onion (around half an onion)
  • 100g / 3 ½ oz vine tomato
  • 400g / 14 oz red prawns from Mazara
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt

Instructions

Step 1 / 6

Prepare the prawn bisque. In a saucepan, add the onion, tomatoes, carrots, celery and the heads of the prawns. Cover all the ingredients in water and let it simmer for 1 hour. Sieve the ingredients, retaining the broth. Cook the broth on a high heat until it reduces and thickens.

Step 2 / 6

Prepare the filling for the tortelli. Using a mortar and pestle, grind the basil leaves, pine nuts, Pecorino and Parmigiano, adding salt and oil as needed.

Step 3 / 6

Prepare the pasta. Mix the two types of flour with the egg yolks and knead until your dough is smooth. Then, roll the dough in a very thin layer.

Step 4 / 6

Position small quantities of filling on half of the pasta layer, keeping some distance between them (they need to become your tortelli). Cover with the other half of the pasta layer and cut into circles where you positioned the filling. Gently press the edges of each tortello to seal it and keep the filling inside while cooking.

Step 5 / 6

Boil the tortelli for a 3 minutes. Then, drain and fry the tortelli quickly with a knob of butter. Add the sauce.

Step 6 / 6

Pan fry the prawns in a pan with a little olive oil and add them to the tortelli before serving.

Discover Chef Robert Toro's culinary inspirations

1 minute 24 seconds

Explore Two Havens in Taormina

Delve deeper into

You might also enjoy

The South African Fashion Designers To Watch

As Cape Town’s cultural dynamism goes from strength to strength, Johannesburg-based writer Zanele Kumalo spotlights the fashion scene’s game-changing names to know.

Discover more
Image from the Liguria cookbook shows a bowl of three-tomato Spaghetti alla Elizabeth Taylor enjoyed at an ocean-view table.

Recipe: Spaghetti alla Elizabeth Taylor

Deceptively simple but with depths of flavour: enter the humble tomato spaghetti, named after the Hollywood starlet who loved it so.

Discover more
Cascading falls create clouds of spray in a garden view over a table with two glasses of white wine and food, in soft-focus.

Breaking Bread with Luiz Filipe

Nestled within whispering distance of Brazil’s Iguassu Falls, Restaurant Y pays tribute to the region’s deep connection with water. Meet Luiz Filipe, the Michelin-starred chef at the helm, who is dedicated to showcasing his country’s rich culinary traditions on the most dramatic natural stage.

Discover more
A man's hand holds a Cipriani-branded yellow tennis ball, with the clay-surfaced court and hotel in the background.

Tennis Courts, By Belmond

From serving aces beneath palms in the Thai jungle to match points overlooking the Italian Riviera's azure waters, discover our best hotel tennis courts.

Discover more
A man with a shortie surfboard under his arm stands, looking at the sky ,on a large basaltic rock surrounded by foaming sea.

Sunrise to Sunset: A Day by the Ocean in Madeira

Day and night, make the most of Madeira. Discover subtropical gardens, find the archipelago's best surfing spots and dine on ocean-to-table delicacies from the comfort of Reid's Palace.

Discover more
View over olive fields and dense forests to a pretty Tuscan hilltop town, seen in hazy light from high up through red blooms.

Taste Travel: Tuscany

Deeply rooted in its agricultural past, 10th century estate Castello di Casole is committed to connecting guests with the bounty of the rolling Tuscan hills. In this new film, we discover Orti del Castello — Chef Daniele Sera’s vision of a farm-to-table ecosystem — curated from the grounds and producers that surround the Castello.

Discover more
At a table with a red cocktail, olives and crisps, a guest plays Monopoly, the La Villeggiatura edition, seen from above.

La Villeggiatura Monopoly

With summer in full swing, we learn yet another way to master the art of the Italian getaway. Discover Belmond’s special edition of MONOPOLY La Villeggiatura, a playful twist on the classic game that weaves together our legendary locations – from the Amalfi Coast to Liguria, via Costa Smeralda and Tuscany.

Discover more