For week 2, we're in Italy, for the first of two different races in the country this season. I have to say, the fact we get to cook Italian twice is right up my street, but to make it interesting, I'm choosing dishes from the regions where the two tracks are based - no generic pizza or spaghetti bolognese here!
I say that, it could well have been spaghetti bolognese this week as Imola is indeed found in the Metropolitan city of Bologna, home of the famous ragu! I should add at this point though, that the more traditional serving would be with tagliatelle. However Imola, and the wider Emilia Romagna region boast many other speciality dishes, Tortellini being one, often served 'in brodo' - submerged in a clear chicken broth, or stuffed with squash, a popular vegetable in the region.
And it's the latter I'm serving for main course this week, Squash Tortellini, with brown butter, crispy sage leaves & Parma ham. I really wanted to pop some asparagus through the butter too; I couldn't get my hands on any so early in the season when I was testing, but if you can, feel free too - it's another very commonly grown vegetable in the area.
Don't be put off by the thought of making your own pasta - all you need is some '00' flour (a very fine flour used for pasta and other doughs), some eggs and a wee bit of elbow grease. Shaping the pasta may seem fiddly, but a few down the line, if you're anything like me, it'll become a most therapeutic task!
That said, I suppose this week is a meal of two halves. Since we're going to that bit more effort for the main, I've kept the starter a little simpler, where you can opt to do as little, or as much as you like.
Traditionally a first course in a formal Italian meal, the proper 4 course ones, Antipasti (plural of antipasto, because let's be honest, who's only having one component here!), typically consists of cured meats, cheeses, roasted or marinated vegetables, and breads, designed to whet the appetite for the meal ahead. Basically, pick your favourite elements and build your board accordingly! Serve warm or cold, or a mix of both.
If you don't live with a vegetarian, feel free to go meatier, than me - the likes of Prosciutto di Parma and Mortadella are hugely popular in the region.
So whilst I won't give a set recipe, my antipasti (on this occasion!) consists of:
Roasted Peppers - Red, orange & yellow peppers, cored, quartered and roasted for 40 mins at 180c with olive oil and seasoning, until soft and slightly charred.
Lemon & Thyme Courgette - 1 courgette, thickly sliced and tossed in a bowl with a glug of olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp thyme and seasoning. Griddle on each side until softened and charred, then pop back in the marinade bowl to steep in remaining liquid whilst they cool.
Roasted Tomatoes & Garlic - I love a caponata on an antipasti board, but a handful of mixed heritage tomatoes, whole peeled garlic cloves and capers, roasted for 40-50 mins at 180 until thickened and sauce-like, does the job when we already have aubergine a plenty! Top with fresh basil leaves.
Griddled Aubergine - Thickly slice 1 small aubergine and toss in olive oil and seasoning. Griddle until charred on each side then pop in the oven for 10 mins to cook through.
Plus the non-cooked bits:
Olives
Parma Ham
A ball of Mozzarella
Butternut Squash Tortellini, Brown Butter, Crispy Sage Leaves & Parma Ham
Serves 2
Ingredients:
For the filling:
1 medium squash
50g Parmesan or Pecorino, finely grated
Good grate of nutmeg
Seasoning
For the pasta:
300g '00' flour
3 eggs
For the butter sauce:
80g salted butter
Large handful sage, leaves only, about a 25g pack
Squeeze of lemon
To serve:
2 slices Parma Ham (leave out for a veggie option!)
Grated Parmesan, if you like
Method:
- Start with the squash. Slice the squash into quarters, lengthways, and scrape out all the fibres and seeds from the hollow. Lay on a baking sheet, flesh sides up and drizzle with olive oil. Season, then pop into an oven, preheated to 180, and roast for 40 minutes or so, until softened and starting to colour.
- Meanwhile, start the pasta dough. Tip all the flour onto a clean work surface (or a bowl if you really want to avoid mess!) and make a well in the centre, big enough to hold all the eggs. Crack the eggs into the middle and using a fork, beat the eggs together, then start bringing the flour in to combine. When the dough starts to come together, get your hands in and knead all the remaining flour into the egg.
- Once all combined, knead for 5-10 mins (depending on how vigorous you go!) until the dough becomes smooth. Wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (but I've also left overnight and the dough was great)
- When the squash is cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Once cooled, peel the skin off and add the flesh to a bowl, along with the cheese, nutmeg and seasoning. Mash together with a fork, breaking up any larger bits of squash and add a splash of olive oil if it seems too dry. For a much smoother filling you could blitz in a blender or food processor, but I prefer a bit of bite. Set aside whilst you roll out the pasta.
- For this part, it would be ideal to use a pasta machine, starting by rolling 1/3 of your dough through on the thickest setting and repeating the process right down to the thinnest, until you have strips of pasta about 1-2mm thick.
- If, like me, yours is broken or you don't have one, we can do by hand! I usually divide my pasta into quarters to make it more manageable, but if you have biceps of steel and/or a very large worktop, feel free to keep larger! Keep the pasta you haven't yet rolled wrapped up in the clingfilm to stop it from drying out.
- Flour your work surface and flatten your chunk of dough out, turning it over to get both sides floured then begin rolling with a rolling pin, turning and flipping over as necessary, to get as thin as you possibly can! You're aiming for 1-2mm again, as the thickness of pasta essentially doubles once the tortellini is constructed.
- Once suitably thin, stamp out 8-9cm circles using a cutter, or if you don't have one, a mug is a pretty good size. Having hand rolled, I found some of the middle circles were a little thicker than the outside ones - it does no harm to have a quick additional roll over individual circles, if they are slightly larger you won't tell once cooked (though I'm sure this is sacrilege in authentic Italian cuisine)! Stack all your circles on a small plate and get a little bowl of water ready for assembly.
- To assemble, take one circle and add 1 tsp of squash mixture into the centre. Brush around the edge of the circle with water (just use your finger, or a brush!), then carefully fold the pasta in half. Pinch in the middle then working from one side seal all the way around the edge, ensuring you push any air out from the filling as you go, until you have one sealed half moon. To fold, place the half moon, flat side towards your palm, under your little finger, resting on your third and fourth fingers! Fold one pointed end over your little finger, dot with a little water, then fold the other pointed end on top, wrapping around your finger. Pull off and set aside on a plate whilst you do the rest. I'm right handed and fold over my right hand finger, using my left hand, but you may find the opposite is easier! It may feel unnatural at first but it does get easier with practice.
- Once all assembled, begin cooking the tortellini, in batches if necessary. Boil a large pan of salted water and bring down to a lively simmer. Drop in the tortellini and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the pasta is cooked through and they have risen to the top of the pan. If cooking in batches, set the rest aside until all cooked.
- Whilst the tortellinis cook, prepare the butter sauce and garnish. Pop the Parma ham onto a baking sheet and into the oven at 180 for about 10 minutes, until crisp. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan, on a medium heat, then add the sage leaves. Turn the heat to low and leave for 4-5 mins, stirring occasionally, until the butter has browned and the sage leaves are crispy.
- Squeeze the lemon juice into the butter and tumble the tortellini in. Toss to coat in the butter and heat them back through.
- Serve 8-10 tortellinis per person, depending on how big they are, in a bowl, with and remaining butter drizzled over and sage leaves placed on top. Rest the baked ham on the top and serve with additional parmesan grated on top, if you like.
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