Mushroom Tortellini in Broth

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This dish was heavily inspired by my travels throughout the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy where the Lambrusco flows like water, and the Parmigiano is indispensable to the perfect dining experience. This particular recipe uses oyster mushrooms, spinach, and Parmigiano Regiano but please fill your pasta with whatever your heart desires! 

For the Dough:

1 Egg

100 g Semolina (about 3/4 C)

For the Filling:

1/2 lb Oyster Mushrooms

1 C Freshly Grated Parmigiano Regiano

1 C Spinach

3 Tbsp Salt

To Serve:

4 C Chicken (or Veggie) Broth

Preparation: Making pasta requires a lot of patience, but it is truly an art form. You'll want to create your filling first so that your dough does not dry out. Sauté your spinach and mushrooms together with olive oil and 1 tbsp of salt. Take off heat and transfer to a metal bowl. Mix in the parmigiano and add a little more salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. For the dough: First place the flour on your pasta board surface, then form a crater in the center of the flour. Drop the egg into the center of the flour crater. With your hands (or fork), mix the egg and flour together starting from the center working out to the edges until fully combined. If the dough feels dry, add a little olive oil or water. If the dough feels too wet or sticky, add a small amount of flour. Brush the excess dough from your hands into your mixture, and knead all together (that's the gluten!). Wash your hands thoroughly with water to remove any dried dough. Knead your dough into a ball, and then shape into a rectangle. Feed your rectangle into your pasta machine on the lowest setting (0). Keep feeding the dough into the machine, raising the number each time until you are able to almost see through the dough. Lay your rolled dough on a lightly floured surface. Using a pasta cutter, cut the dough in half length-wise and then cut into perfect squares. Place your broth in a large pot with the remaining salt to boil. In the meantime, fill a regular spoon 1/4 of the way with your filling, and place into the center of each square. (It is VERY easy to over-fill, so be careful!) Dip you finger with water and lightly brush the edges of the pasta square so that the ends stick together. Fold the pasta square into a triangle, over the filling pressing the edges together gently. Pinch the two ends of the triangle together and set on a parchment-lined baking tray. Once all your tortellini are complete, drop into the boiling broth for 4 minutes (fresh pasta cooks VERY quickly). With a ladle, spoon pasta and broth into a bowl, sprinkle with fresh parmigiano, and revel in the glory of your work.

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Alyssa D'AdamoComment