pasta making
Despite working in an Italian restaurant as an apprentice, I never actually made the pasta downstairs at Lidia’s. I did watch them from my prep table on a regular basis, watching José make gnocchi and ravioli like it was nothing, shooting them out so fast they blurred.
During my holiday in Conifer over Memorial Day I knew I’d have a huge kitchen at my disposal, so I decided to try making pasta from scratch, finally. I didn’t have a pasta machine so rolling it by hand was the method (and “rustic” was definitely the result), but it was still an awesome exercise and learning experience.
I didn’t really use a recipe – just the ratio we used at Lidia’s: 1 cup of flour with 2 eggs. Mix, knead, rest, cut. I decided to be really ambitious and make tortellini because I had just watched the episode of BBC’s “Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares” where he shows the method, and I love stuffed pasta. Let’s go!
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More counter space than I know what to do with.
Jessica’s Tortellini with Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Arugula filling
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup flour
- 4 ounces soft goat cheese
- 1 cup chopped asparagus
- 3 cups arugula
- salt
- pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
For the pasta:
There is very little “recipe” here. Just put the flour in a bowl, make a well in the center, and add the eggs. Mix together then turn out into a floured surface and knead about 10 minutes until elastic, but not sticky. Rest for about 15 minutes and then roll out and cut your shapes.
For the filling:
1. In a medium-sized skillet, add a few turns of olive oil. Let it get hot and then add the asparagus. Season well with salt and pepper. Cook until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add to a large mixing bowl, and set aside.
2. In the same pan, add another glug of olive oil and toss in the arugula. You can add a splash of water here to speed along wilting if you need to, otherwise just keep tossing until compeltely wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Once done, add to the same mixing bowl the asparagus is in.
3. Add the goat cheese to the mixing bowl and combine everything until well incorporated.
Once your pasta is ready, either shape your tortellini with about a half tablespoon of filling per tortellini. Feel free to use the filling as a pasta sauce by tossing it with a sturdy pasta like rigatoni and some pasta water to loosen the sauce.
