Mushroom Tortellini

Name: Mushroom Tortellini
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 6 people
Ingredients: 10 ounces all-purpose ﬂour; 2 eggs; 1 ounce dried mushrooms; 2 garlic cloves; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; salt; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1/2 teaspoon caraway seed; black pepper; 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta; 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms; 3 to 6 wild onions or green onions; 1/4 cup unsalted butter; 1 cup small peas; 1/2 cup soaking water from mushrooms; Green parts of the wild onions; salt and pepper

User Reviews

5.0

21 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
1 hr 30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 50 mins
Servings
6 people
Calories
396 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Italian

Mushroom Tortellini

Elizabeth Hodge

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While I like this recipe with morels or porcini, you could use any wild or cultivated mushroom for these tortellini. Use the same mushroom for the final dish that you use in the pasta filling. Once the pasta is made, this dish comes together very quickly.

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Ingredients

Servings

PASTA DOUGH

10 ounces all-purpose ﬂour, about 2 cups
2 eggs, beaten with 1 ounce of water, about 1/4 cup

FILLING

1 ounce dried mushrooms, or 2 cups (1/2 pound) fresh, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon caraway seed
black pepper
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta

TO SERVE

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 to 6 wild onions or green onions, white parts, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter, divided
1 cup small peas
1/2 cup soaking water from mushrooms (see recipe)
Green parts of the wild onions, sliced into 2-inch pieces
salt and pepper

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Instructions

Submerge the dried mushrooms in 2 cups of warm water and set aside.
To make the pasta dough, lightly beat the eggs and water together. Put the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the beaten eggs and, using one finger, incorporate the flour and the eggs. When you have a shaggy mass, start kneading the dough, either in the bowl or on a clean work surface. Knead for 5 to 8 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside for at least an hour, or in the fridge up to overnight. TIP: If you have a vacuum sealer, seal the dough in a bag. It will instantly hydrate the dough and you need not wait the hour.
To make the filling, gently lift the mushrooms out of the soaking water and squeeze them dry. Chop finely. Set them in a large sauté pan and turn the heat to high. When the mushrooms start sizzling, add the butter. Toss to combine and sauté until they begin to brown. Add the garlic, caraway seeds, salt, pepper and thyme. Cook another minute. Turn off the heat and let everything cool.
While you are waiting, strain the mushroom soaking water through a paper towel and then boil it down until it's about 1/2 cup. Save it for later.
When the mushroom mixture has cooled to room temperature, put it into a food processor or blender with the ricotta and buzz it to combine. You want the filling to be pretty smooth because you will be using it by the half-teaspoon -- large chunks will tear the pasta. Put the filling into a plastic freezer bag and shove it to one corner. Snip off the corner of the bag so you can squeeze out a little filling at a time -- if you have a piping bag, use that.
Cut your pasta dough into 6 equal pieces. Keep all of them covered in the plastic wrap until you need them. Roll out one piece very thin -- I use the second-to-thinnest setting on my Atlas pasta maker. Lay the pasta sheet on a clean work surface (I use a maple board) and use something to cut out squares or circles. I use a round pastry cutter about 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches wide. You want your tortellini to be small, so use something no larger than 2 inches across.
Squeeze a little filling into the center of the circle or square. How much? You'll get the hang of it soon enough, but remember that you will need about 1/4 inch all the way around the filling for the tortellino to seal correctly. It's better to have too little filling than too much.
Fold the pasta over itself to make a tiny half moon. Seal the edges. You might need to dip your finger into a little water to do this if your pasta has dried out too much. (You can stop here if you want, and while they will not be tortellini, they will still be tasty.) Now fold the half moon over on itself and seal the ends of the half moon. You now have a tortellino. Repeat with the remaining dough. It takes time, but you get into a zen state soon enough. Set each finished tortellino on a baking sheet that's been dusted with semolina flour or cornmeal. Don't pile them up on each other, or they will stick and become a glob.
When your tortellini are done, you will need to cook them that day or freeze them. Filled pasta does not do well in the fridge for more than a day. They can sit out a couple hours while you make them, though.
To finish the dish, boil some water and then salt it well. Take a sauté pan and set it over high heat. Add the fresh mushrooms and white parts of the onion and let them sear until the miushrooms give up their water. Add 3 tablespoons of butter and sauté until the mushrooms and onions begin to brown. Salt them while they are cooking. Add the peas and the mushroom soaking water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and stir in the green parts of the wild onions. Grind some black pepper over everything.
Boil the tortellini for 2 to 3 minutes, or 30 seconds after they float to the surface. Add the to the sauté pan, toss to combine and serve at once.

Notes

You can use any fresh mushroom you like here, not just morels.
If you're new to making pasta dough, start with premade wonton wrappers, which are sold refrigerated in many supermarkets.
If you want to freeze your tortellini, do so on a baking sheet. When they are fully frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. Once made, they will keep, frozen, for about 2 months before deteriorating; they get brittle.
If you want to break up the labor, you can make the filling up to a day ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. You can store the dough a day in the fridge, too. Let it come to room temperature for an hour or so before working with it if you do.
While I do love the accompaniments to these tortellini, you can also serve them with an alfredo or other cream sauce, a thin, meatless tomato sauce like marinara, or simply with butter, black pepper and sage.
If you want to freeze your tortellini, do so on a baking sheet. When they are fully frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. Once made, they will keep, frozen, for about 2 months before deteriorating; they get brittle.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 396kcal (20%) Carbohydrates 47g (16%) Protein 12g (24%) Fat 18g (28%) Saturated Fat 11g (55%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 5g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 100mg (33%) Sodium 45mg (2%) Potassium 356mg (10%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 903IU (18%) Vitamin C 12mg (13%) Calcium 80mg (8%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 396 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	396kcal	20%
Carbohydrates	47g	16%
Protein	12g	24%
Fat	18g	28%
Saturated Fat	11g	55%
Polyunsaturated Fat	1g	6%
Monounsaturated Fat	5g	25%
Trans Fat	1g	50%
Cholesterol	100mg	33%
Sodium	45mg	2%
Potassium	356mg	8%
Fiber	4g	16%
Sugar	3g	6%
Vitamin A	903IU	18%
Vitamin C	12mg	13%
Calcium	80mg	8%
Iron	4mg	22%