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200g fresh pasta cut into squares about 10 cm (you should get about 14 squares)

80g manchego cheese

50g serrano ham

3 or 4 sprigs of fresh thyme

A large knob of butter

Salt

 

Seran ham & manchego tortellini

preparation 15 mins • you cook for 40 mins •

Serves 2

Watch a 30 second preview of my cook-along video below

If you cannot view the video below, click here to download QuickTime from Apple's website.

 

Tortellini look great and, with the right filling, are melt in the mouth delicious too. My combination of salty serrano ham and creamy nutty manchego cheese make this recipe a real delight. The tortellini are finished off with a thyme butter sauce and are much simpler to make than you'd think. This recipe takes comforting pasta to new heights!

Large pan of salted boiling water

Small saucepan

Electric food processor

Small ramekin with cold water

Colander

Spoons to stir

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Before you start, have your pasta squares cut out, the manchego and serrano ham measured out and your blender plugged in. Now click here!

Before you start, have your tortellini ready with a pan of salted boiling water on the hob. Have the thyme and butter out with a small saucepan closeby. Now click here!

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First you need to make the filling so put the manchego and serrano ham into your blender and blend away for about 30 seconds. You'll make the tortellini in batches so put a few of the pasta sqaures onto a board in front of you like diamonds, pointing away from you, as in the photo on the right.

Take about a teaspoon of the filling into your hand and squish it together to form a rough ball shape. Put the filling onto the far half of the pasta sqaure. Wet your finger with water and run it over the 2 edges of pasta that the filling is sitting between. This will act as a glue when you fold the pasta.

Fold the point nearest you over the filling and pinch the point of your new triangle shape firmly, lifting it up, as in the second photo on the right. You need to sqeeze the air out of the pasta so, using your thumb and forefinger, press all around the filling so that the filling is sealed in all the way around. Next, firmly press along the edges to seal and you should be left with a fully sealed triangle of pasta with a nice lump of filling in the middle.

To fold into a tortellini, you need to wrap the sides around the front of the triangle (like it's giving itself a cuddle!). Fold one side across then wet it with a damp finger and fold the other side across, as in the third photo on the right. Pinch to seal the arms together. Fold the top (the original point that should still be pointing up) backwards away from the other folds. It will point down the back of the pasta like a little coat hood ( as in the final photo). Pinch the seam along the top so that the pasta will remain folded back. Pop your completed tortelllini on a lightly floured plate and repeat the process for each sqaure. You'll be amazed at how quickly you can do them by the end.

Once you've made all the tortellini, put a pan of salted boiling water on the hob and carefully drop them into the water. Cook for 4.5 minutes, during which time you can chop the thyme (no pun intended...) and make the sauce.

After the pasta goes in, put a small saucepan on the hob on a medium heat and add in the butter. As the butter is melting, chop the thyme and add to the butter. Give the pan a little swirl around and then allow the butter to bubble away until it just turns brown. Remove the pan from the heat and it should be about time to drain the pasta. Drain the pasta through a colander and pop it back into the large saucepan. Pour the thyme butter over the pasta and carefully mix together.

To serve, simply divide the tortellini between two pasta bowls and sprinkle with a little salt.

I hope that you enjoy them.

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