Recipe of the week: Marron tortellini

09:36 12 December 2011

Cook along and learn how to make marron tortellini from scratch - Western Australian style with our recipe of the week.

Ingredients

• 700g/1½lb bakers flour, plus extra for dusting
• 4 eggs
• Olive Oil & Salt
• 2 raw marron
• Salt, pepper & dill
• Egg whites
• Drizzle of cream

%%youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM7_j4JGgyo

Method

1. Whisk the eggs.
2. Pour the flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre
3. Add a splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt
4. Pour the whisked eggs into the well and gradually mix with either a blunt knife or your hands. When the dough has become a thick paste use your hands to incorporate more of the flour
5. You can sieve any remaining flour and use the sifted flour while you knead the dough to stop it sticking to the surface and to your hands, but be careful not to make the dough too dry. Knead until well blended and the dough is soft and flexible. Don't worry if you haven't used up all the flour
6. Leave the pasta to rest for about an hour with a bowl inverted over it or leave it covered in cling film. You can sieve any leftover flour again and save this flour for rolling out the pasta
7. Meanwhile, for the filling, place marron into a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 1 ½ minutes, then using tongs transfer marron to a large bowl of iced water
8. Once chilled, remove the claws and head. Carefully crack the marron tail open and remove the meat. Using a nut cracker, carefully crack the claw shells and remove the meat
9. Mince the flesh from the Marron
10. Add a pinch of salt, pepper and a sprinkling of dill
11. For binding add a couple of egg whites and a drizzle of cream for the binding
12. Blend this altogether
13. Roll out the pasta into a long, wide strip about 2 mm in thickness, either by hand or using a machine. When you can see your hand through it, it is ready for stuffing
14. Now take a small wine glass or round cutter measuring about 7cm/3in across and cut out 4 circles of pasta around each mound of filling
15. Place teaspoons of the filling in a line down the centre of one of the strips
16. Fold the pasta as instructed in the video
17. To cook, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and gently lower in the tortellini. Cook for about four minutes or until the pasta is soft but not floppy
18. When the pasta is done, drain it & serve immediately