Home made Tortellini

I literally hate the chewy horrible filling of packed tortellini that sometimes taste like smoked plastic! Do yourself a favour and make your own! Have some free time and free your mind from the old troubles as the process is so therapeutic... Prepare as much as you can as they freeze very well. Consume within three months, if they last that long!!

For the pastry

500g flour
5 eggs
Pinch Salt

Artichoke filling
 250g Artichokes (either canned or freshly cooked hearts)
100g pine nuts
1 egg
100g cubed Pancetta, or smoked Bacon
2tbsp Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
freshly ground black Pepper.

White Sauce,
60g butter,
2tbsp, Plain Flour
600ml Milk
250ml fresh cream
1/4tsp salt
3 tablespoon grated Parmesan or Kafeloutieri cheese
Grated Nutmeg
1 teaspoon English Mustard

Make the Pastry but putting everything in a food Processor and pulse till all combined.  Gather everything and knead to a ball. Cover in cling film and chill for 1/2 an hour.  Meanwhile make the filling by once again put everything in the processor and process to form a textured paste.(not necessarily smooth). Transfer mixture to a disposable piping bag.  

You must invest in a pasta machine as you need to have the dough opened evenly. So, using a pasta machine, cut 1/5th from the dough and pass it through the machine on setting 10, flouring properly from time to time. Then reduce the setting to 8, and pass the dough again, then 6 then 4 until you have a smooth long strip of pasta approx 2.5mm thickness.  Pipe small amount of filling the size of a hazelnut, leaving 1inch gap from one to another. Lightly brush with some cold water around filling,  fold the dough over press sides and front ensuring that no air bubbles are trapped .  Press gently then lift the whole thing from the bench so that it does not stick, cut into half rounds like ravioli. Remove excess dough, then pick each raviolo and fix the two pointed ends together to form a tortellina! 

Make the white sauce by heating butter, add flour and cook till it forms small dough balls, then add milk and whisk to a smooth creamy texture.  Add fresh cream, cheese and mustard, and whisk again till all combined.  Grate some nutmeg and check for seasoning, add salt if necessary.

Bring a large pan of salted water to boil, add tortellini and boil for 10minutes. Drain and plate, add white sauce.  Garnish with parmesan shavings and drizzle with olive oil.