Our pals at Rio Vista Olives sent us the incredible oil that we cook with in this post. Like everything that we recommend on our blog, we use and love their products, and hope that you will too!
The Story
A couple of weeks back I was enjoying a good glass of Montepulciano with a light pork ragu and a side of charred radicchio. How far I’ve come from Fruity Lexia and chip rolls. Anyway, I’d paired it so uncharacteristically well that it occurred to me I should probably stick it all into some sort of tortelli. And so this weekend’s pasta turned out to be a little ode to wine, pairing the dish to the vino, rather than the other way around. This is our pork and radicchio tortelli, made with a red wine dough, and served simply with smashed garlic fried in olive oil.
The Pasta
I think that it was in an episode of Two Greedy Italians, unbelievably more than ten years ago, when Antonio and Gennaro pleaded with us to only cook with wine that we’d drink. Whether that was more out of respect for the dish or the chef having a glass while they toil is unclear, but either way it’s something that I took to heart. The Montepulciano that inspired this dish is from Alpha Box & Dice, McLaren Vale. We made it to their cellar door on a quick South Australia trip last year and they won us over with everything they brought out. I’ve been banging on about how good their wine is ever since, and the subtle flavour that it gives to this dough really does bring the dish together.
Boil down the wine on high heat until it halves in volume, and allow it to cool. Then start off like you would any other pasta dough: form a well, add the yolks and wine into the centre, and stir together into a shaggy mass. Knead for 10 minutes, then seal in cling wrap and rest for 30.
While you wait, fry one handful of basil leaves, then reserve them for plating. Make the filling by frying the pork and radicchio in the leftover oil, and then blend the, up with the ricotta, fresh basil, and egg. That should only take 10 minutes, leaving you plenty of time for your own leisurely glass of red.
Roll your dough out to a medium-thin thickness, a 6 on a 9-setting machine, and then cut it into squares of around 7cm. Add a large dollop of filling to each, and then fold in half offsetting the points so that you are left with four corners on one side, and a straight edge on the other. Poke sideways on the flat edge, and then draw the outer corners around the dimple, to overlap slightly. The angle of overlap should be about the same as the angle between the other corners. Press firmly to seal, and you’re ready to boil.
While your pasta bubbles away, smash the peeled garlic cloves with the side of a large knife, and gently fry them in a couple of tablespoons of oil until they start to get toasty. Toss the cooked and drained tortelli directly into the hot pan, and serve with a pinch of mountain pepper.
Happy Sunday, and buon appetito!
– Al & Al & El.
Equipment
- Pasta roller and cutter (if not using a rolling pin and knife)
- Pastry/pasta cutting wheel
- Food processor
- Piping bag with medium round tip (alternatively, you can use a teaspoon)
Ingredients
Pasta
- 400 g plain flour
- 4 egg yolks
- 240 ml red wine we used a Montepulciano from Alpha Box & Dice (Rebel, Rebel); substitute with your favourite red wine
Pasta Filling
- 200 g pork mince or thinly sliced fillet
- 150 g radicchio chopped into large wedges
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 40 g ricotta
- 1 small handful basil
- 1 egg
- Salt and pepper to taste
Sauce
- 4 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 head garlic
- 1 small handful basil
- 1 tsp mountain pepper ground (substitute with cracked black pepper)
Instructions
- Boil the wine in a small pot over high heat for 10 minutes, or until volume has roughly halved. Allow to cool.
- Form a flour well, add the egg yolks and wine into the centre, and then use a fork or your hand to bring it together into a loose ball. Gradually add more wine, 1-2 tbsps at a time, if dough is too dry; the same of flour if too wet.
- On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes, then seal in cling wrap. Rest for 30 minutes, away from direct sunlight or heat.
- While the pasta rests, fry one handful of basil leaves in 1 tbsp of oil over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes until crispy; remove, drain, and reserve for plating. Fry the pork in the remaining oil over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes until crispy.
- Remove pork, add another 1 tbsp of olive oil into the pan, and fry the radicchio for 4-5 minutes until it begins to caramelise. Splash with the vinegar and cook for one further minute.
- Blitz pork, radicchio, ricotta, one handful of fresh basil, egg, and seasoning in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag with a medium round tip.
- Using a pasta machine, roll the dough through on the thickest setting 2-3 times, folding over itself in between passes. Then step up incrementally to a medium-thin thickness, 6 on a 9-setting machine.
- Cut the pasta sheets into squares of approximately 70mm, and then pipe a large grape-sized dollop of filling into the centre of each. Fold in half over the filling, offsetting it so that you are left with four corners on one side, and a straight edge on the other.
- Poke sideways on the flat edge, and then draw the outer corners around the dimple formed, to overlap slightly. The angle of overlap should approximate the angle between the other corners. Press firmly to seal. If not cooking immediately, transfer to lightly-floured baking paper-lined trays and refrigerate uncovered for 1-2 days.
- To cook, drop into a large pot of lightly salted boiling water. Cook for 5-6 minutes until al dente, with no raw dough showing when pasta is cut into.
- For the sauce, peel the garlic and then smash with the side of a large knife. Fry in 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat for 6-8 minutes, until golden brown and beginning to soften in the middle. Drop a handful of basil leaves in and fry until bright green and crispy. Toss the drained tortelli into the pan, and serve with a sprinkle of mountain pepper.
Muhteşem