Ricotta Tortellini With Burnt Butter And Sage

Ingredient

200g fresh firm ricotta
50g thickened cream
1 tbs Red Island extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 tsp cracked black pepper
100g unsalted butter
1 cup butternut pumpkin, small dice
¼ cup pine nuts
1 bunch of sage
2 tbs currants
½ bunch parsley, chopped
Finely grated parmesan to serve
Sea salt flakes

Pasta Dough
1 ¾ cups Tipo 00 flour, plus extra for dusting
6 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 tbs milk
Red Island extra virgin olive oil

Method

For the Pasta Dough, make a well in the centre of the flour on your bench. Add all the other ingredients to the well. Gently whisk all the ingredients together with a fork and slowly incorporate with the flour on the outside. Keep doing this until a ball of dough forms.

Knead the ball of dough until it becomes smooth. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

To roll out the dough, cut into 4 pieces and press flat. Run through the widest setting on a pasta machine, fold into three and put back through the same setting, dust with a little flour each time or as needed. Repeat this process for the next 2 settings on the machine.

Once you get to the smaller setting just run the pasta through once.

Roll pasta dough out into sheets. Cut large round disc out of the sheets with a cookie cutter.

In a bowl add the ricotta, cream, olive oil, lemon zest and black pepper, mix until combined. Place a tablespoon of filling into the centre of the pasta circles.

Brush half the circle with water and fold the pasta in half to get semi-circles. Bring the 2 points together and crimp the tips together. Repeat the process until the pasta is filled.

In a large frypan heat the butter until it begins to bubble. Add the pumpkin and cook until soft. Add the pine nuts, sage and currants and cook for 2 minutes, remove the sage leaves when crispy. Add the lemon and parsley and turn off the heat.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the tortellini and cook for 2-3 minutes or until they float. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pasta straight into the butter sauce. Gently mix pasta through and serve. Top with finely grated parmesan.

Recipe by Michael Weldon