Heya people :3
It's cooking bearkitty  ghostbear2k, bringing you some more Italian style food. :)


Home made Tortelloni, filled with Ricotta cheese, dried Tomato, roasted pine nuts, fresh thyme and basil
(serves 2-3 )

Noodle dough:
- 200g flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp neutral Oil

Filling for the Tortelloni:
- 250g Ricotta cheese
- A handful of dried tomato (if they are in oil, drain them and tap them dry. If they are not, soak them in water and then drain and gently squeeze them out)
- Approx. 30 – 35g pine nuts
- salt, pepper
- fresh basil and fresh thyme

Additional:
- 3-4 chestnut mushrooms
- approx. 10 small cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 onion
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- 1 twig of thyme and rosemary
- fresh basil
- freshly grated Parmigiano
- olive oil and optional a piece of butter for the taste
- salt, pepper

Preparation:
Prepare the dough for the noodles. Mix the flour, eggs and oil and knead everything into a smooth, non-sticking dough.
Cover in cling film and store in the fridge until you need it

For the filling, carefully roast pine nuts in a pan without fat and let them cool down fully, before you use them.
In the meantime, wash the herbs, tap them dry. Chop dried tomatoes and herbs very finely.
Grind the cooled pine nuts into a paste in a stone mortar or at least chop them as finely as you can.
Mix herbs, tomatoes, pine nuts and Ricotta cheese in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Store cool until you need it.

Take the noodle dough and roll it out thinly, either with a manual pasta machine or a rolling pin.
Cut the dough into 10 x 10cm squares.
Brush a little water on each square, then place about 1 tsp of the filling into the center of the dough square.
Fold one corner over the other so it forms a triangle and press the rims of the dough together so they stick and the filling stays inside. If it doesn't stick, use a tiny amount of water.
Now fold the front corner back over the filled part. It should protrude a little bit.
Turn the noodle, so the covered part is pointing down.
Place one finger on top of the dough, then fold the other corners over your finger and press it together. If you did it right, you'll get some nice looking Tortelloni.
Don't worry, it takes a bit of practice but it isn't half as bad as it sounds.
I used this video as instruction for the folding technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqahAx7EYEA


Now for the rest...
Before cooking the Tortelloni:
Chop half of an onion and 1-2 garlic cloves finely. Wash the cherry tomatoes, remove the stem and cut them into quarters. Remove the seeds if possible, they don't add any taste to the dish.
Wipe the mushrooms with a paper towel, cut them in half and then into slices.
Cut the basil leaves into strips.

Heat up some olive oil and butter in a large enough pan, add the onions and twigs of rosemary and theme and carefully fry them until glassy. Add the garlic, continue to fry for a bit without burning it.
Now add the mushrooms and saute them. Close to the end, add tomatoes and just heat them until they turn slightly soft. Remove cooked out herbal twigs.
While the mushrooms and tomatoes are cooking, boil the Tortelloni in salted water, about 4-5 minutes. Try them so they are ready.

Add a little of the noodle water to the mushroom-tomato mix.
Season with salt and pepper and add the fresh basil.

Take the Tortelloni out of the water, only drain them and dress them onto a soup bowl.
Drizzle a healthy dose of a very good olive oil, preferably an olive oil extra vergine, over the pasta.
Add some of the mushroom & tomato mixture and top your dish with some more fresh basil and some freshly grated Parmigiano.

(Tip: The homemade Tortelloni already taste awesome if you just pour some olive oil extra vergine over them, mix and then top them with freshly grated Parmigiano. Italians love to keep it simple)

A (very bad) picture of the filling in the finished pasta: https://ghostbear.kur.ai/fotos/esse.....herbs_open.jpg