In October 2016, the Bologna Cooking School, the only one with Carlo Alberto “Big Carlo”, was chosen by Iana Ianakieva, Creative Director and Photographer, to represent Bologna, with its Tortellini, in a review of the excellence of Italian Cuisine on behalf of the luxury hotel Shangri-La Hotel Abu Dhabi.

Great satisfaction, but immediately a major deal: the imperious request was to make the Tortellini without Mortadella, neither Ham nor Pork Loin.

As an alternative, I suggested making the also famous recipe: Tagliatelle con Ragù Bolognese. But without success.

So, I accepted the request to make Tortellini with a different filling.

A great challenge!

At the Bologna Cooking School we use and offer only ingredients of excellence, precisely to make the true flavor of theTortellini known and appreciated.

The difficulty was to succeed, however, in making a tasty filling that was worth replicating.

After a few days of studies and tests, we have chosen to substitute Mortadella, Ham and Pork Loin for Veal, Chicken Breast and Turkey Breast cooked with aromatic herbs.

The set was ready and we started executing the recipe and filming it.

The recipe for Tortellini with alternative filling and its step-by-step preparation is available among the Tortellini variants.

In the end, we couldn’t wait to taste the Tortellini and see the result.

It will be due to the quality of the meat, to our expertly prepared broth, to the handmade pasta dough made according the rules of the art, to the meat filling flavored with herbs and 36-month aged hills Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and also for the pleasant company of Iana and her assistant Marco… the result was incredibly excellent.

However, it is a good variation that can make the “ambassador” dish of the cucina bolognese appreciated by a much wider audience.

Of course, the Tortellini we usually make with the Mortadella Bologna, the Prosciutto di Parma, and the Pork Loin –according to tradition– are obviously unrivalled.

Note: in 2018, Iana Ianakieva has created the agency The Wanderlust Lab Ltd of which she is the Creative Director.

Don’t hesitate to visit her site to see how far Iana has come!

Carlo Alberto “BigCarlo”