Marcella Hazan’s tortellini with meat and cheese filling
Makes about 200; enough to serve 10-12
For the stuffing
pork 115g, preferably from the neck
chicken breast 170g, boned, skinless
butter 25g
salt and freshly ground black pepper
mortadella 3 tbsp, very finely chopped
fresh ricotta 225g
egg yolk 1
parmigiano-reggiano cheese 115g, grated
whole nutmeg
homemade yellow pasta dough about 485g
Dice the pork and the boned, skinless chicken breast into 1cm cubes. Put the butter in a skillet and turn the heat to medium. When the butter foam begins to subside, add the cubed pork, one or two pinches of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Cook for 6 or 7 minutes, turning to brown evenly on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, remove it from the skillet and set aside to cool.
Add the chicken pieces to the skillet with a pinch of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Brown on all sides, cooking it for about 2 minutes. Remove it from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool with the pork.
When cool enough to handle, chop the pork and chicken together to a grainy, slightly coarse consistency. It is all right to use the food processor, but do not reduce the meat to a pulp.
Put the chopped meat in a bowl and add the mortadella, ricotta, egg yolk, grated parmesan and a tiny grating – about ⅛ tsp – of nutmeg. Mix until all the ingredients are evenly amalgamated. Taste and correct for salt.
To make yellow pasta dough.
Cut it and shape it into tortellini, using the following instructions.
Trim the strips of pasta dough into rectangular bands 4cm wide. Do not discard the trimmings, but press them into one of the balls of dough to be thinned out later.
Cut the bands into 4cm squares. Put about ¼ teaspoon of the filling in the centre of each square. Fold the square diagonally in half, forming a triangle. The edges of the top half of the triangle should stop short of meeting those of the bottom half by about 3mm. Press the edges firmly together with your fingertip, sealing them tightly.
Pick up the triangle by one corner of its long side, the folded-over side. Pick up the other end with the other hand, holding it between thumb and forefinger. The triangle should now be facing you, its long side parallel to the kitchen counter, its tip pointing straight up. Without letting go of the end, slip the index finger of one hand around the back of the triangle, and as you turn the fingertip towards you let it come up against the base of the triangle, pushing it upwards in the direction of the tip. As you do this, the triangle’s peak should tip towards you and fold over the base. With the same motion, bring together the two corners you are holding, forming a ring around the tip of the forefinger, which should still be facing you. Lap one corner over the other, pressing them firmly together to close the ring securely. Slip the tortellino off your finger, and place on a dry tea towel.
As you continue to make them, lay all the tortellini in rows on the towel, making sure they do not touch or they will stick to each other and tear when separated. Although they are ready for cooking immediately, it’s likely that you will be making them a few hours or even a day ahead of time. When making them in advance, turn them from time to time, so that they dry evenly on all sides. Do not let them touch until the dough has become leather hard or you will end up with torn tortellini.
When boiling the pasta, add 1 tbsp olive oil to the water.
From The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan (Boxtree, £30). Click here to order a copy for £24
Omar Allibhoy’s fideuà
Fideuà should be cooked in a big paella pan. However, this recipe works just fine in a normal frying pan, but only if you cook it for no more than three people, even better for two.
Serves 2
olive oil 150ml
fideos (thin, short angel hair pasta) 200g, or any angel hair pasta broken into 2cm lengths
squid 1 fresh, about 350g, cleaned and chopped into 1cm pieces
salt 1 tsp
prawns 10, peeled, defrosted if frozen
garlic 2 cloves, finely chopped
Spanish onion ¼, finely chopped
tomato 1, finely chopped
saffron a pinch
sweet pimentón ½ tsp
fish stock powder ½ tsp or cube
Heat about one-third of the olive oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat. Add the dried pasta and fry for about 5 minutes, or until it turns golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the rest of the olive oil to the pan, increase the heat and add the chopped squid and salt. Squid can be very temperamental as it releases a lot of water when you start cooking it so it tends to explode in the pan. It’s fair to say this bit is a tiny bit dangerous. I recommend you hold a lid over the pan, so that the steam can still escape, and stand back. Give it a quick stir, half cover with the lid and leave to cook for a couple more minutes. Don’t scrape the bottom of the pan, as that sticky layer is essential for stock.
When the squid has browned, add the peeled prawns, garlic and onion and cook for another 5 minutes until everything is dark golden (this will happen fairly quickly because of the high heat). Add the chopped tomato, saffron and pimentón and stir constantly to dissolve the sticky bits on the bottom. This should take no longer than 2 minutes.
Add the fish stock powder or cube and 1 litre of water. Bring to the boil and let it simmer for about 10 minutes before adding the fried pasta. You need to use your judgment here – you need just enough water left in the pan for the pasta to cook and absorb all the remaining liquid. A good thin fideo pasta should cook in about 3 minutes. Stir in the pasta, cover the pan and cook until the liquid has been absorbed.
Remove from the heat and leave for 1 more minute, uncovered, to create a toasted layer of pasta on the bottom of the pan – it will taste like heaven. Enjoy with a good dollop of alioli.
From Tapas Revolution by Omar Allibhoy (Ebury, £20). Click here to order a copy for £16
Yotam Ottolenghi’s legume (noodle) soup
This heartwarming thick soup, called ash-e reshteh, is the Iranian answer to minestrone. I found reshteh noodles at an Iranian grocer’s near me but linguine would do the job just as well.
Serves 8
dried chickpeas 125g, soaked overnight in water with 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
dried butterbeans 125g, soaked as above
clarified butter 80g
onions 2 large (400g), thinly sliced
garlic 10 cloves, thinly sliced
ground turmeric 1½ tsp
yellow split peas 225g
vegetable stock 2 litres
parsley 35g, chopped
coriander 35g, chopped
dill 15g, chopped
spring onions 100g, trimmed, thinly sliced
baby spinach 150g
dried reshteh noodles or linguine 100g
soured cream 150g, plus 1 tsp per portion to finish
white wine vinegar 1½ tbsp
limes 4, halved
salt and black pepper
Drain and rinse the chickpeas and butterbeans. Bring two pans of water to the boil and cook the chickpeas and butterbeans separately: this should take anywhere between 20 and 40 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Put the butter, onion and garlic in a large pan and place on a medium heat. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden-brown. Stir in the turmeric, ½ teaspoon of salt and some black pepper and remove a third of this mix from the pan to use later.
Add the chickpeas and butterbeans to the pan, then add the split peas and stock. Simmer for about 35 minutes, skimming the froth occasionally, or until the peas are tender.
Add the herbs, spring onion and spinach, stir well and cook for another 15 minutes; add more stock or water if the soup is very thick. Add the noodles and cook for about 10 minutes so that they are just done.
Stir in the soured cream and vinegar and serve, garnished with a teaspoon of soured cream per portion and the reserved cooked onion. Serve lime halves to squeeze over every portion.
From Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi (Ebury Press, £27). Click here to order a copy for £21.60
Theodore Kyriakou’s chicken yiouvetsi
Serves 4
banana shallots 2, peeled and finely diced
garlic 4 cloves, peeled and left whole
marjoram ½ bunch, picked
lemon peel of 1 medium-size, shredded and blanched for a minute
olive oil 120ml
chicken 1 free-range, about 1.5kg
beef tomato 250g, fresh and ripe, grated
white wine 250ml
chicken stock 450ml
salt and pepper to taste
krithiraki (orzo) 200g
kefalograviera freshly grated (if not available then pecorino)
Add the shallots, garlic, marjoram, lemon and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a casserole dish and place over a low to medium heat; stir them round so that the onions are coated well, put the lid on and leave them for 5 minutes. Take the lid off, stir and put the lid back for another 5 minutes. Repeat this until the onions are soft and translucent but not browning. Sweating is done with the lid on the pan. Remove them with a slotted spoon and keep to one side.
To brown the meat, add a little olive oil to the casserole dish and place on a medium heat before adding the whole chicken. Hold it by its legs (or with tongs), moving it into different positions until it is a good golden colour all over, then remove and place to one side.
Return the onion mix to the casserole dish and sit the chicken in the centre. Add the grated tomato, then pour in the wine and chicken stock and season.
Bring to simmering point and transfer the casserole to an oven preheated to 180C/gas mark 4 – don’t cover with the lid, but protect the breasts from drying out with a piece of foil. Cook for 30 minutes, uncovering and basting the breasts occasionally.
Remove the foil, bake for another 30 minutes and keep basting with the juices. Check that the chicken juices are clear. When the chicken is cooked, drain it well and remove it from the casserole and put it on a warmed serving dish.
Add the orzo to the casserole together with the remaining olive oil. Place the casserole back in the oven for 12-14 minutes until the orzo is cooked and almost all the sauce is absorbed. When it is done it should have a smooth feeling in the mouth, without bite.
Carve the chicken, plate up the orzo, place the sliced chicken on top and serve with grated cheese.
Theodore Kyriakou is executive chef of The Greek Larder, 1 York Way, London N1
Claudia Roden’s ‘buried in vermicelli’ (shaariya medfouna)
You can leave out the icing sugar if guests are likely to prefer it without, and instead pass it round in a little bowl.
Serves 10
chickens 2 large
onions 4 large, chopped coarsely
ground cinnamon 2 tsp
ground ginger 1 tsp
saffron threads or powder 1 tsp
salt and black pepper
butter 120g
clear honey 1 tbsp
orange blossom water 2 tsp (optional)
flat-leaf parsley large handful, chopped
coriander large handful, chopped
blanched almonds 200g
sunflower or vegetable oil 1½ tbsp
vermicelli nests 1kg
ground cinnamon 2 tsp, to decorate
icing sugar optional
Use two pans and into each put 1 chicken. To each pan, pour in 500ml water, bring to the boil and remove the scum. Add 2 of the chopped onions, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ginger and ½ teaspoon of saffron. Add salt and pepper and simmer, covered, for about 1 hour. Turn the chickens occasionally so they are well cooked.
Lift out the chickens and when cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones and cut the meat into medium-sized pieces.
Pour the stock with the onions into one pan and reduce by boiling it down until a thick sauce results. Stir in 50g of the butter, the honey and orange blossom water (if using) and cook a few minutes more. Taste, and add salt and pepper if necessary.
Add the herbs and return the chicken pieces to the sauce. All this can be done in advance and reheated when you are about to serve.
Fry the almonds in the oil until lightly browned, then drain on kitchen paper. Crush them with a pestle and mortar or coarsely chop them.
Just before serving, break the vermicelli into small pieces by crushing the nests in your hands. Cook in rapidly boiling salted water for 5 minutes, until al dente, stirring vigorously at the start so that the threads do not stick together in lumps. Drain very quickly and then pour it back into the pan. Stir in the remaining butter, cut into small pieces, and some salt.
Put the chicken with its sauce into a very large deep round serving dish. Cover with a mountain of vermicelli, and decorate this with lines of cinnamon, icing sugar (if using) and chopped almonds emanating from the centre like rays.
From Arabesque by Claudia Roden (Michael Joseph, £30). Click here to order a copy for £24
