Title: Chicken Tortellini In A Sweet Onion-Lambrusco
Categories: New, Text, Import
Yield: 4 servings
: Red Onion Marmalade:
2 md red onions, -- chopped into
1/4 -inch dice
2 c Lambrusco wine, or other
: light bodied fruity red
: wine
1 c orange juice
2 TB sugar
: Filling:
2 TB butter
7 oz boneless, skinless breast of
: chicken
1/2 c dry white wine
3 oz Prosciutto, -- cold from
: refrigerator
5 oz Mortadella, -- cold from
: refrigerator
3/4 c grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
: plus 1/2 cup
1/2 ts freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 c milk
1 egg
: Pasta:
1 recipe basic pasta
2 c basic chicken broth
To make marmalade:
Place chopped red onions, Lambrusco, orange juice and
sugar in a saucepan and place over medium high heat.
Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and reduce until
thick like marmalade, about 30 minutes. Remove from
heat and allow to cool.
To make filling:
In a 12- to 14-inch saut_ pan, melt butter over medium
heat until just starting to foam. Slice raw chicken
very thinly across the grain and place in pan with
butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly,
until very lightly browned. Add wine, cover and cook
for 5 minutes. Remove cover and cook until liquid is
gone, 2 to 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and allow
to cool. Cut prosciutto and mortadella into 1/4-inch
dice and place in food processor. Add cooled contents
of saut_ pan and pulse until just ground, like meat,
not like a mousse. Pour into a large mixing bowl and
add cheese, nutmeg, milk and egg, folding carefully.
Check for seasoning with salt only and refrigerate.
Fresh Egg Pasta: 4 extra large eggs 3 1/2 cups
unbleached all-purpose flour plus 1/2 cup
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
Make a mound of the flour in the center of a large
wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the
flour and add the eggs, oil and any other flavoring
you choose. Using a fork, beat together the eggs, oil
and flavorings and begin to incorporate the flour
starting with the inner rim of the well. As you expand
the well, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well
shape. Do not worry that this initial phase looks
messy. The dough will come together when 1/2 of the
flour is incorporated.
Start kneading the dough with both hands, using the
palms of your hands primarily. Once you have a
cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and
scrape up any left over crusty bits. Lightly flour the
board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes. The
dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Continue
to knead for another 3 minutes, remembering to dust
your board when necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic
and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Note: do not skip the kneading or resting portion of
this recipe, they are essential for a light pasta.
Yield: 1 pound
To assemble tortellini:
Lay out 1 sheet of pasta and cut into 2-inch rounds
using a water glass or cookie cutter. Cover cut rounds
with a damp kitchen towel so that they do not dry out.
Working 5 at a time, place 1/2 teaspoon filling in
center of each round. Fold each round in half to form
a half moon and pinch the edges tightly together to
seal. Take the two opposing corners and bring the
tails of the half moon together, twisting one half
turn so that the sealed half round edge curves around
the outside of the filled soul of the tortellini.
Repeat with each round until all pasta is used up.
Leave formed pasta shapes uncovered to dry.
To serve, heat the chicken stock to boil in a large
pasta pot and add onion marmalade. Check broth for
seasoning with salt. Drop 48 tortellini into broth and
return to boil. Lower heat until just under boil and
cook tortellini until tender and yet still possessing
a discernible resistance to the bite, about 4 to 6
minutes. Spoon 12 tortellini into each of 4 warm soup
bowls and divide the broth among them. Sprinkle with
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve immediately.
