The Best of Fine Cooking — Real Italian 2017

dough should be smooth, elastic, and just a

little sticky.

Press one finger into the center of the

dough; if it comes out barely moist, the dough

is ready to be rolled out. If the dough is still

quite sticky, add a little more flour and knead it

for another 2 to 3 minutes until soft and pliable.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at

room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.

roll ThE PASTA

Unwrap the dough and knead it for a minute or

two. Set the rollers of a pasta machine at their

widest. Cut off a piece of dough about the size

of a small lemon and flatten it with the palm of

your hand to about 1/2 inch thick. As you work,

keep the rest of the dough wrapped in plastic.

Dust the piece of dough lightly with flour and

run it through the machine. Fold the rolled

dough in half and run it through the machine

again, pressing it with your fingertips into the

rollers. Repeat this step four or five times,

dusting the dough with flour if it becomes

sticky, until smooth and elastic.

Change the rollers to the next setting down

and roll out the dough without folding. Repeat

rolling the sheet of dough (without folding)

through the pasta machine, decreasing the

settings until the pasta is 1/8 inch thick. On a

floured wooden board, cut the dough into

11/2-inch squares. Keep the squares covered

with plastic as you shape the tortellini.

ShAPE ThE TorTEllini

Put about 1/8 tsp. of the filling in the center of a

pasta square. Bring one corner over the filling

toward the corner diagonally opposite and

fold into a triangle. Press around the filling to

seal. Bend the tortellino around your finger

with one corner slightly overlapping the other

and press to seal. The tortellino will look like a

crown. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet

lined with a clean kitchen towel. Arrange the

tortellini in a single layer without letting them

touch (you’ll need 2 to 3 baking sheets) and

cover with another clean towel.

Repeat the filling and shaping with the

remaining pasta and filling.

CooK And SErVE

You can make as many or as few servings as

you like. For each serving, you’ll need 11/2 cups

of broth and 14 tortellini. Bring the broth to a

boil in a large pot over medium heat. Gently

drop the tortellini into the pot. Cook until they

rise to the surface and are tender but still

firm to the bite, 2 to 3 minutes for fresh, 4 to

5 minutes for frozen. Remove the pot from the

heat. ladle the tortellini and broth into serving

bowls, sprinkle with grated cheese, and serve

immediately.

raw artichoke, portobello,

and fennel salad

Raw artichokes have a mild, intriguing flavor and firm texture.

A quick soak in vinaigrette not only enhances their flavor but

also tenderizes them a bit. Be sure to slice all the vegetables

as thinly as possible, either with a knife, mandoline, or the

slicing blade of your food processor. Serves 4

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 large cloves garlic, smashed

2 oz. thinly sliced pancetta

2 Tbs. sherry vinegar

½ tsp. finely chopped fresh dill

Kosher salt and freshly

ground black pepper

3 large fresh artichoke hearts,

sliced very thinly

½ small fennel bulb, sliced

very thinly crosswise, fronds

reserved for garnish

4 oz. cremini mushrooms,

sliced very thinly

1 oz. shaved Grana Padano

Heat the oil and garlic in a 12-inch

skillet over medium heat, turn-

ing as needed, until the garlic is

golden brown, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to a small bowl and let

sit for about 10 minutes. Discard

the garlic.

Meanwhile, cook the pancetta

in the skillet over medium heat

until crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.

Transfer to a paper towel–

lined plate, let cool to room

temperature, and crumble. Add

any rendered pancetta fat to the

garlic oil. Whisk in the vinegar, dill,

1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper.

In a medium bowl, toss the

artichoke hearts with 1 Tbs. of

the vinaigrette and let sit for

10 minutes. In another bowl,

toss the sliced fennel and

mushrooms with 2 tsp. of the

vinaigrette. Divide the fennel

and mushrooms among four

plates. Top with the artichokes,

pancetta, and cheese. Garnish

with the fennel fronds, drizzle

with the remaining vinaigrette,

and serve.

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