Rainy Sunday, Sam and Paul are
in their home. Sam is drinking coffee and looking at the dust on TV screen.
Paul is still in his pajamas. Sounds of clattering pots and blander noise are
coming from the kitchen cabinet.
S: Paul, what are you doing?
P: I am making tortellini. I
mean I am planning to make them. We will see what will come out at the end.
S: ?
P: Well, you know I am not an
expert but I want to try and make homemade pasta. And I would rather spend time
next to this hot cooker than going out. It’s purring cats and dogs outside and
it’s so cold.
S: Sure, sure. But what is
this red color?
P: Hm, it was suppose to be
purple, but sometimes things are not how we imagine and expect them to be.
Sometimes we get surprised, but this is a rather good surprise. (Both, Paul and
Sam are laughing)
S: What did you use to get this vivid red
color, hopefully not my edible red color for cookies?!
P: No, I used beetroot that was fading in our
fridge for quite some time. I cooked it and pureed with olive oil and sifted to
get color for the dough. Honestly I still don't get it how it turned out so
red.
S: And the stuffing, any plans for that?
P: I am making pea stuffing with fresh spring
onions, spring garlic and cream cheese.
S: Sounds great! When it's going to be ready,
as I am already hungry.
P: In few hours, the dough must rest for at
least an hour.
S: Ok
Sam went back to the living room and sat on her
sofa. After some time she started searching for the perfect sauce that would go with
tortellini and found one in the book The Geometry of Pasta. Cream sauce or Tortellini con panna is
something she now wishes to eat for lunch.
The lunch turned into early dinner.
S: And another good surprise for today. Well
done Paul!
P: After I rolled out first one I thought I
wouldn't make it, but the practice really makes it easier and better. Next time
they will be perfect.
While enjoying homemade
pasta dish Paul has proudly shared all the details of how to make homemade tortellini.
Pea and cream cheese filled tortellini
Beet pasta
270g flour
4 eggs (2 eggs and 2 egg yolks)
4 tbsp of beet puree
Mix everything in a blender until the dough is formed. Knead it a bit with hands, but don't use extra flour. Divide the dough in 4 discs and wrap each one in clingfilm and leave to rest in a fridge for at last an hour.
To get purple color from beet you just simply cook beetroot and when it's tender and soft bland it with olive oil to get smooth puree texture. Sift it before using for coloring the dough.
Roll out the dough to be paper-thin. Pasta machine is recommended, but you can try with hands and rolling pin. Make square shape (10x10cm) and place the filling to the center.
To make tortellini follow the pictures below..
Filling
200g frozen peas (cooked and drained)
3 spring onions
1 spring garlic
2 tbsp cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Mix
everything to get rather smooth paste but still with some texture left.
Leave to cool in the fridge before start
filling.
Boil tortellini for 4-5 minutes (untill they come to surface), drain them and toss in the sauce.
For the sauce follow the recipe for tortellini con panna here.
