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 Gelato of Madeira

Discover how native Madeiran José Diogo Costa, Creative Executive Chef at Reid's Palace in Funchal, transposed the island’s abundance of tropical fruits and liqueurs into the perfect scoop at Gelateria San Giorgio.

Discover more

Kirthanaa Naidu’s Malaysian Pantry Staples

Kirthanaa Naidu’s heritage inspires her work as a Malaysian Indian-born cook, stylist and creative director. Discover some of her Malaysian cookery staples, from savoury belacan to fragrant pandan, as told in our cookbook collaboration with Apartamento.

Discover more
Close-up of a tray carrying a bottle of Glenmorangie single malt whisky with two whisky glasses and a jug of water.

The Lingo to Know When Ordering Scotch Whisky

Whisky might be smooth, but knowing which one to order can be anything but. Millie Milliken, award-winning spirits writer and head of content for OurWhisky Foundation – a non-profit that lifts women in the global whisky industry – provides an expert guide to make sense of it when you see it on a menu.

Discover more
A waiter stands by a couple at a lamp-lit dining table at Otto Geleng with sweeping dusk views of the light-studded coast.

Guide: Belmond's Michelin Star Restaurants

From gold-plated dining overlooking the Venetian lagoon to pan-Asian elegance in the heart of Rio, Belmond is proud to offer some of the best Michelin-star restaurants in the world.

Discover more
A green view rushes past the window of a dining table set for two with Champagne, bud vase and lamp, seen at eye-level.

Four Chefs on the Meaning of Modern British Food

From April to October 2025, our iconic train reunites with star chefs Theo Randall, Atul Kochhar, Phil Howard and Andrew Wong for the relaunch of the Celebrity Chef Dinners series. Today, join our special guests to find out what modern British food means to them and how together, we celebrate the diversity of Britain’s culinary scene.

Discover more
Close-up of Panang Curry with meat and slices of red chilli and curry leaves, served in a yellow bowl, seen from above.

Recipe: André Chiang’s Penang Duck Curry

In our second Belmond and Apartamento book, ‘Penang: Recipes & Wanderings Around an Island in Malaysia’, we disembark in Georgetown along with acclaimed chef André Chiang. Among his storied anecdotes and rich lessons on local cultures, the Taiwan-born culinary curator of the Eastern & Oriental Express tells us all about a staple of Malaysian cuisine – the duck curry dish.

Discover more
Bride and groom strolling through the Casanova gardens of Hotel Cipriani

Say ‘I Do’ to the Micro-Wedding

With the rise of the boutique wedding and minimony, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a day full of luxury and tradition. Here's why smaller celebrations at Belmond are having their moment.

Discover more