About the Recipe
Handmade tortellini filled with slow-braised oxtail, finished in brown butter and crisp sage.
Ingredients
500 g cooked oxtail, meat only
1/3 C (80 ml) braising liquid
¼ tsp lemon zest
80 g cream cheese
3 tsp (15 ml) chopped parsley
2 Tbsp (30 ml) Parmesan, grated (more if necessary)
10 - 15 sage leaves
black pepper
60 g butter
1 C (250 ml) fresh Parmesan cheese
Preparation
Step 1
Chop the braised oxtail meat to about a 2 - 3 mm dice, add the lemon zest, parsley, cream cheese and Parmesan. Add some of the braising liquid to moisten. Adjust the seasoning and add the parsley. Mix to combine.
Step 2
Make 36 equal size balls of filling (approximately 15 g per ball).
To make the tortelli
Step 1
Place a sheet of pasta dough onto a floured surface (I like using semolina for this, it’s slightly gritty and allows you to work with the pasta more easily).
Step 2
Cut into rounds of about 7 - 8 cm diameter.
Step 3
Place one filling ball onto the centre of each round.
Fold the pasta over filling so it resembles a half moon and squeeze edges to seal.
Take the two ends and bring them together overlapping slightly – not by the easiest route, but rather horizontally across, folding the thickest part around your finger and bringing the ends together.
Squeeze and place onto a floured surface.
Step 4
Fill a large saucepan with salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for a few minutes until al dente. Refresh in cold ice water if you are not going to use immediately.
To finish
Step 1
Heat the butter in a non-stick saucepan. Add the sage leaves and allow to crisp up a little.
Step 2
Add the heated tortellini and toss to coat. It is preferable if the butter turns to a beurre noisette, having a beautiful nutty flavour.
Season to taste and top with Parmesan.