- FOR THE PASTA DOUGH:
- 350g pasta flour (tipo 00)
- 50g cocoa powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon almond oil (or other nut oil)
- FOR THE FILLING:
- 50g butter
- 50g caster sugar
- 175ml milk
- 1⁄2 vanilla pod, the seeds scraped out
- 1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk to seal the tortellini
- 25g plain flour
- 50g ground almonds
- 6 amaretti biscuits, crushed
- 50ml Amaretto liqueur
- FOR THE BLOOD-ORANGE SAUCE:
- 4 blood oranges
- 50g golden caster sugar
- 400ml double cream
- FOR THE DECORATION
- 50g pine nuts, toasted
- A few basil leaves, thinly sliced
Chocolate and Almond Tortellini with Blood Oranges and Pine Nuts by Paul Young
One of my favourite pasta recipes, and it’s a dessert!
The bitter chocolate dough, creamy almond filling and zesty blood-orange sauce balance beautifully to make a really show-stopping pudding. The best part is that everything can be prepared in advance so you can easily put the dessert together for a dinner party.
Ingredients
Method
FOR THE PASTA DOUGH:
Place all the ingredients, plus 2 tablespoons cold water, in a food processor and whizz until a soft but firm dough has formed. Alternatively, mix the dough by hand in a large mixing bowl.
Wrap in clingfilm and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Using a pasta machine, roll the dough into thin sheets and cut out circles using a 10cm cutter.
If you don’t have a pasta machine, use a rolling pin.
Lay the pasta discs on a plate, cover and refrigerate until ready to fill.
TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl, then simply add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
To fill the pasta, take a pasta disc and wet the edges with the egg yolk. Place a teaspoon of the filling in the centre.
Fold the disc over and pinch the edges together to form a half-moon shape.
Holding the filled pasta in both hands, with the straight edge at the bottom, bring each corner together and pinch, forming a parcel.
Repeat for all the discs and store the finished tortellini in the fridge until needed.
FOR THE SAUCE:
Zest the oranges using a fine grater.
Then peel and divide the oranges into segments, doing this over a bowl so as to save all the juice.
Make a stock syrup by bringing 50ml water and the sugar to the boil in a large saucepan, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
Add the saved juice and the zest, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes.
Add the cream and simmer for a further minute.
Remove from the heat and add the orange segments.
Bring a large pan of water to a simmer.
Drop in the tortellini and simmer for 3 minutes or until they float on the surface.
Remove and drain.
Divide the tortellini between serving bowls, then spoon over the blood-orange sauce and segments.
Decorate with the toasted pine nuts and shredded basil.
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