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Pasta bolognese and ricotta tortellini with a courgette and garlic sauce

Prep time 30 mins to 1 hour
Cook time 30 mins to 1 hour
Serves 4
From Saturday Kitchen
If you’re going to the trouble of making your own pasta you might as well go the whole hog and serve it with a choice of delicious sauces. For this recipe you will need a pasta machine with a tagliatelle cutter.

Method


  1. For the pasta, put the flour, egg and egg yolks into a food processor and pulse until well combined and the mixture comes together as a dough. Place the dough in a bowl, cover with cling film and place into the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.

  2. Cut the pasta dough in half and feed one of the pieces through a pasta machine according to the machine instructions, ending on the thinnest setting. Pass through a tagliatelle cutter. Set aside the other half for the tortellini.

  3. For the bolognese, heat a large, heavy-based casserole over a medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil, onion, celery, garlic and rosemary and cook until soft. Turn up the heat, add the beef and cook until browned all over. Add the wine and chopped tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 20-25 minutes, or until the sauce is rich and reduced. Season with salt and pepper.

  4. For the ricotta tortellini, put the ricotta in a bowl and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, some freshly grated nutmeg and the lemon zest. Mix until well combined. Set aside until needed.

  5. Flatten the reserved pasta dough slightly with a rolling pin, then starting at the lowest (thickest) setting, feed the dough through the machine, turning the handle with one hand and holding the dough as it comes through the machine with the other.

  6. Change the setting on the pasta machine to the next-thickest setting, flour it again and feed the pasta sheet through the machine again, as before. Repeat this process, flouring the machine and changing the setting down each time, until you reach the thinnest setting. You can cut the pasta into smaller individual sheets and work on them individually, keeping the remaining unused dough covered under cling film to prevent them from drying out.

  7. Cut out circles from the pasta sheets using a 4-5cm/1.5-2in pastry cutter, then brush each circle with the beaten egg. Place a heaped teaspoon of the ricotta filling onto one half of the circle, then fold the other half of the pasta over and press together to seal. Bring the bottom two corners of the half-moon together to create a circle and pinch to seal. Repeat with the remaining pasta and filling mixture, placing each completed tortellini on a tray lined with greaseproof paper. Set aside.

  8. Cook the tortellini, in batches, in a pan of boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes, or until they float to the surface and are al dente. Remove with a slotted spoon. Reserve a little of the cooking water for the sauce.

  9. For the courgette and garlic sauce, heat a large frying pan until hot, add the oil and garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the thyme and courgette and a little of the pasta cooking water. Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper.

  10. To serve, cook the tagliatelle for 2-3 minutes, or until al dente, then drain well and mix with the bolognese and butter. Toss everything together. Drop in the tortellini into the courgette sauce and mix just before serving. Serve the pasta bolognese and the tortellini in separate bowls, garnished with grated Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

For the pasta

  • 200g/7oz '00' pasta flour
  • 1 free-range egg and 6 egg yolks
  • 50g/1¾oz fine semolina flour

For the bolognese

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 2 celery sticks, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • 150g/5½oz beef fillet, cut into strips
  • 150ml/5fl oz red wine
  • 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter

For the ricotta tortellini

  • 125g/4½oz ricotta
  • freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
  • ½ lemon, zest only
  • 1 egg yolk, beaten
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the courgette and garlic sauce

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
  • 1 sprig thyme, leaves picked
  • 1-2 large courgettes, grated or sliced into ribbons using a vegetable peeler
  • 75g/2½oz unsalted butter

To serve

  • 75g/2½oz unsalted butter
  • 150g/5½oz freshly grated Parmesan

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Pasta bolognese and ricotta tortellini with a courgette and garlic sauce

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