Handmade tortellini w/ a mushroom filling {vegan}

(cliccate qui per la versione italiana)

Happy Monday everyone!

Something I really enjoy doing but don’t do enough is homemade pasta. It’s a long process but oh so satisfying and also you can make a lot, freeze it and not need to make it for a long time! Win win. Every time I start I never know how much it will yield, it’s all a bit random, but this time I made tortellini which are easy to count and portion!

Traditionally fresh pasta requires egg yolk but you can totally use water instead. If you want yellow dough just add a pinch of turmeric.

What’s good about this pasta is the filling. Definitely don’t skip the garlic! It’s definitely a lot but I firmly believe that mushrooms and garlic are a match made in heaven (if it seems like 3-4 cloves is way too much, use 2-3 but no less!)

This recipe requires very few main ingredients (and some optional ones).

HANDMADE TORTELLINI W/ A MUSHROOM FILLING {vegan}
by Marta Giaccone

Recipe
85 tortellini, 6 servings
prep time: 1 hr, cooking time: 15 mins, total time: 1 hr 15 mins (+30 mins rest)

Tortellini
350 gr durum wheat flour
pinch turmeric (optional)
pinch salt
200 ml water, warm
1 tbsp evo oil
mushroom filling (find recipe below)
a handful of walnuts

Method

1. Start by making the filling, which will need to be cold to use (find recipe below).
2. Combine flour, turmeric and salt in a large bowl and stir; add oil and water. Mix, first with a fork and then with your hands. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead just until elastic and no longer sticky. You may need to add a little bit more flour or water.
3. Transfer back to bowl, cover with wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4. Prepare a couple of racks or trays and top them with parchment paper and some flour.
5. Transfer dough back to the floured surface and divide it into 6 parts. While you work the 1^st, keep the other 5 in the bowl, covered, so they don’t dry out.
6. Either use a rolling pin to roll the dough and make many strips as thin as you can, or use a pasta maker machine. I used a manual machine and worked my dough from setting 1 to 7 (out of 9). Remember to lightly flour the dough before each go otherwise it may stick to the machine rollers.
7. Use a cookie cutter or glass (or knife) to obtain rounds or squares. If you need to make some room, overlap them (with some flour in between to prevent from sticking) and cover with plastic wrap (to prevent from drying).
8. Add about a tsp of filling in the center of each pasta wrapper, then fold in 2, seal all around and create tortellini by rolling the edges around your thumb (it’s easier to do than to explain) and gently pressing to seal. Place tortellini on a floured rack/tray and cover with a clean towel.
9. Continue to create tortellini with the other 5 dough balls, one at a time.
10. The bottom of the tortellini sitting on a flat surface may start getting soggy, so after 30 mins or so you can carefully turn them upside down.
11. To cook them (a portion is about 12-15 tortellini of this size), simply drop them into a pot of salted boiling water and let cook for about 2-3 minutes — try one to make sure).
12. Optional: once cooked, transfer them to a hot pan with a tbsp of olive oil and a small handful of walnuts, chopped. Add a tbsp or 2 of the pasta cooking water and sauté, shaking the pan, for just a minute.
13. Tortellini can be frozen raw: lay them out on a tray, freeze for at least 2 hrs and then they can be transferred to a freezer bag. To cook: simply drop them in salted boiling water.

Mushroom filling
600 gr mushrooms
3 tbsp evo oil
3-4 garlic cloves
salt
handful fresh parsley

Method

1. Quickly wash the mushrooms and remove any dirt. Roughly dice them.
2. Finely grate the garlic into a large pan/wok. Add oil and sauté for a couple of minutes until the garlic is slightly golden.
3. Add mushrooms along with a pinch of salt and let cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until they soften and release their liquid. Keep cooking and stirring until all the liquid has been absorbed. Add chopped parsley. Check for salt.
4. Blend into a paste (add 1 tbsp oil if needed), transfer to a container, let cool and keep in the fridge until ready to use.