FRESH PASTA DOUGH
Yield: 4 servings
2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) Italian-style "00" or unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Flour, for dusting pasta and surfaces
CT Live
Place flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add eggs and oil. Using a fork, blend the eggs into the flour mixture, stirring the flour in from the sides of the well and working outwards. When the pasta dough is thoroughly mixed, turn it out on a lightly floured work surface. Knead dough until it is smooth and flexible but not sticky. Shape the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 20 minutes or up to an hour at room temperature.
Secure a pasta machine to the edge of a long countertop. Cut the dough into four pieces. Keep extra dough covered in plastic wrap. Shape the piece of dough into a rough rectangle that will fit inside the widest setting of the pasta machine. Roll the dough through the machine, catching it with one hand as you roll with the other. Fold the dough in a trifold. Turn the dough so one open end faces the machine and roll it through on the widest setting again. Fold, turn, and roll once more on the widest setting.
Continue rolling the pasta through the machine without folding, adjusting the rollers to a smaller setting each time, until the desired thickness is reached. If the pasta sheet becomes too large to handle, use a bench scraper to cut it into more manageable lengths and continue rolling.
Cut sheets to desired shapes and sizes, toss with semolina flour and set aside covered with a clean kitchen towel. The pasta can be cooked immediately or covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before use.
GOAT CHEESE TORTELLINI WITH PANCETTA, SWEET PEAS, AND MINT
Serves Four
FILLING
1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese, strained (see instructions below)
1/4 cup fresh goat cheese
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine cheeses a medium bowl with lemon zest, salt and pepper. Add enough egg to create a smooth paste.
SAUCE
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
8 ounces pancetta, diced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas, or frozen if fresh is unavailable, thawed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Garnish
20 fresh mint leaves, chiffonade
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
To a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Add pancetta and cook until crispy, about three minutes. Transfer pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate. Add butter, shallot, and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add peas and 1/2 cup hot water. Stir well and simmer until peas are bright green and tender, about one minute. Remove pan from heat; add lemon juice, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
TO PREPARE THE PASTA
Roll fresh pasta out into paper-thin sheets. Use a 3-inch pastry cutter to cut out rounds, dust the tops of the pasta rounds with flour and cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel or a piece of plastic wrap. Repeat until all the pasta dough is used.
Gather pasta rounds, the filling, a baking sheet coated with flour, and a small bowl of water together next to a clean workspace. Place one teaspoon of filling in the center of round.
Dip your finger in the bowl of water and run it along the edge of the round to moisten. Fold the dough over to form a half moon and press to seal.
Draw the two corners together to form a rounded bonnet shape, and press the ends tightly together to seal. Place the tortellini on the floured baking sheet and repeat with remaining pasta rounds and filling.
TO COOK TORTELLINI
Heat a large pot of water over high heat until boiling. Generously season water with salt, like the sea. Add tortellini and stir gently to prevent pasta from sticking together. Boil until the tortellini rise to the top of the water and filling is hot and cooked through, three to four minutes.
Combine tortellini with sauce, add pasta water to adjust consistency.
Plate on warm plates or in a serving bowl and garnish with mint and cheese.
