Tortellini - Italy

Traditionally stuffed with pork, tortellini is a popular Italian dish that is shaped into a ring and served in a broth or sauce. While some may not equate tortellini with dumplings, this delectable Italian stuffed pasta, falls clearly into the dumpling family. *

Like many of our dumplings, I have never dabbled in tortellini before, and so that challenge of pasta making is new and exciting! I set about making a vegetarian version of the dish stuffed full with ricotta, spinach and a touch of lemon zest. Mmmmmmmm!

The filling itself is easy enough to whip up, but the pasta proves to be another trauma entirely, however, I refuse to be defeated! After resting the dough for half an hour, I separate two portions and begin to make friends with my brand new pasta press; 'Barry'. To my dismay though, Barry is not man enough to handle this much dough, so I start afresh with four portions.

Finally, after much frustration, Barry and I manage to co-operate and we make beautiful pasta together. I later discover that we may have hit it off a lot more quickly if I'd paid more attention to Barry to begin with and not given quite so much loving to the dough. This is a good life lesson well learned!

Having seen Garry and George from Master Chef fame stuff their tortellini full with tablespoons of prawn filling the week before, I greedily plunge heaping mounds of ricotta into my pasta circles. A bit over zealous with the filling I find my first tortellini will have to live life as a ravioli as it is too plump to get on board with the ring design (yet another female life lesson learned). Still not satisfied with minimal stuffing, my next few turn out looking more like tortelloni, a technically a heavier version of tortellini, weighing in at 5g each.

By the time I fold my last tortellini I have drunk two more glasses of wine than necessary, but have acquired a new skill in the process: patience...and, more importantly, tortellini making!

My favourite dish of the evening, they were worth every bit of the effort and I'm sure become easier with practice. I haven't included a recipe as they are easy enough to find. My advice: make these for someone special when in an exceptionally good mood, and don't spend too much time delliancing with the dough, or you'll get tough love in return!

Boun Appetito! x

*Please refer to our definition of a dumpling.