As the story goes, Venus and Jupiter were to meet one night at a tavern. The innkeeper, who was dying to see Venus, peeped through the keyhole but caught a glimpse of just her belly button. Inspired he rushed into the kitchen and created a stuffed pasta that resembled her navel ? tortellini!

Till date, tortellini is considered one of Italy’s classic pastas and fresh homemade tortellini is found in many Italian homes. But the readymade tortellini we buy not only saves us time but also the trouble of creating a perfectly thin layer of pasta that is neither rubbery nor brittle when cooked.

Tortellini is usually the size of a coin ? a round wrinkled pasta filled with cheese, meat or the filling of your choice! This is not a very light pasta ? it’s on the heavier side so serve it like a regular ravioli.

Traditionally, tortellini was either cooked in a simple chicken broth (tortellini in Brodo) or in a light tomato sauce. As far as the sauce is concerned, don’t go for something very heavy ? a light alfredo or just olive oil with some fresh herbs or chillies with a sprinkling of Parmesan is great.

Initially, tortellini was available only in one size. Today, things have changed. You get them in different sizes. For instance, the larger tortellini can be enjoyed with a heartier, more substantial sauce made with butter and cream, or with vegetables.

And with summer at its peak right now, there’s nothing like a delicious tortellini salad. Just make sure its at room temperature before serving it!

lIngredients: 16 oz tortellini; 1 lb mixed mushrooms; 2 tbs olive oil; 2 tbs butter; 1 tbs finely chopped garlic; 1/2 cup white wine; 1/4 cup cream; 1/2-1 tbs dried mixed herbs; salt and pepper

lMethod: Prepare tortellini according to package directions. Clean and roughly chop wild mushrooms. Heat butter and oil till hot and saut? mushrooms quickly. Add the garlic and wine and simmer for several minutes to make the sauce. Add the cream, salt and pepper and mix well. Then add tortellini, toss and cook a minute longer. Adjust seasoning. Serve in warmed soup plates garnished with bits of saut?ed mushroom and a curl of fresh Parmesan cheese.