Chicken Bacon Mushroom Tortellini with a Creamy Tomato Sauce

I just adore pasta. Don't you? There's something about a pasta that makes you want to have more and top it off with your favourite sauce. Lots of sauce and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese for me.

I've been having these cravings for pasta this whole week and my pasta maker has finally been dusted off. No more hand rolled pasta... it was just too tiring! Out of the cupboard and ready to help me with my latest pasta adventure in kitchen.

Tortellini tonight!

It's hard to find homemade or fresh pasta out here where I live. We don't have very much in terms of a real Italian restaurant, maybe only decent one that actually serves tortellini but even so I can't be dining there every night, although I wouldn't mind! 


So I've set myself the task to make my own tortellini. It can't be that hard to make it and they do kind of look like Chinese wontons but just turned inside out. I've had them many times before so I'll have to go by memory and do a bit of research to get the right shape.


I'm going to use some lean back bacon to add flavour to the sauce and also add it to the tortellini filling, as well as adding fresh shitake mushrooms too! A creamy tomato sauce to cover the tortellini and that should make our dinner for tonight.

Chicken Bacon Mushroom Tortellini with a Creamy Tomato Sauce

Filling

300 g chicken mince

2 pieces of lean back bacon, finely chopped

6 shitake mushrooms, finely chopped

1 egg

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

pinch of salt

Pasta

1 1/2 + 1/2 cup extra

2 eggs

Sauce

2 pieces of lean back bacon, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely chopped

1/4 cup dry red wine

410 g tin tomato puree + water

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

pinch of salt

1/2 cup full cream milk

Filling

1. Mix all the ingredients into a small mixing bowl and refrigerate until the pasta is ready. I used a meat cleaver to make sure the chicken mince was finely grounded before I added it to the mixture. 

Pasta

1. Using a mixing bowl, add the flour and make a well in the centre. Add the two eggs and use a fork to gradually mix the flour and egg together.

2. The dough will be a bit sticky so remove it from the bowl and place on a well floured surface. Add extra flour to the dough and knead it into a firm smooth dough. 

Make sure you sprinkle enough flour so that it doesn't stick to the surface. 

3. Divide the dough into 2 and taking one piece carefully roll it out until it is thin enough to pass through the widest setting of the pasta maker. Roll the dough through and section the dough into 3 parts and fold them over lapping each other. Roll the dough through the pasta maker again. It should be the smooth and uniform in width.

4. Roll the dough again but at the next setting. It should gradually get thinner. Roll the dough until the 2nd last setting or until it's about 2mm thick. Lay the pasta on a floured surface and cut out the tortellini circles. I use a glass to cut out the circles and set them aside. Roll up any excess into the remaining portion of dough and repeat the process again.

5. Take out the filling from the fridge and use about 1/2 a teaspoon and place it in the centre of the pasta circle. Wet the edges of the circle and fold into half. Pinch the edges to seal the pasta and take the two corners and slightly overlap them and pinch them to seal  it..... It's a little tricky to describe but once you get the hang of shaping the tortellini it's really easy.

6. Use a clean tea towel and spread the finished tortellini to dry while you finish making the rest of them. Transfer the tortellini to a plate and refrigerate until needed. You can also freeze them to use later.

Sauce

1. Using a saucepan, heat some oil and saute the onions and garlic. Add bacon and any left over filling and cook over medium heat. Add in the tomato puree and 1 can of water and stir. Add the wine, herbs . Cover and simmer for about 15 mins. Uncover and add the milk and stir well. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the sauce has slightly thicken and set aside.

2. Use a saucepan and fill with 3/4 of water. Bring to the boil and add the tortellini. Cook in batches. The tortellini will float up when it is cooked. Remove and drain the tortellini.

Reheat the sauce and add the tortellini. Serve the tortellini in individual bowls and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.