Artichoke-Celeriac Tortellini

Tortellini Filling 1 14oz can of artichoke hearts, drained and quartered 1/4 of a celeriac (celery root), grated 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 tsp dried marjoram 1/2 tsp crushed red chili flakes Salt and pepper, to taste

Saute all ingredients over medium-high heat until softened. Allow to cool a bit, then coarsely chop in food processor.

Pasta Dough 1 cup semolina flour 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour 1/2 cup almond flour/meal** 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp olive oil 1/2 cup water

Combine all ingredients and kneed well for a couple of minutes. Split dough in half (cover unused half with a slightly damn towel) and roll on a floured surface, folding dough several times to help strengthen the gluten. Roll to about 1/16", adding additional flour as necessary. To assemble tortellini: Using a drinking glass/cookie cutter etc. of about 2 to 2 1/2" in diameter, cut out tortellini skins. Place 1/2tsp of filling in the center. Fold tortellini in half, pressing the edges together (if they don't stick you can brush them with a bit of warm water). Wrap the tortellini around your finger so the corners overlap a bit and squeeze until they stick. Fold top edge backwards a bit. For illustrated instructions click here. Repeat with remaining dough. As I completed folding a batch I would place them on a floured baking sheet covered with a slightly dampened towel. When I finished them all I put them in the freezer for about 10-15min to toughen them up a bit. To cook, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Drizzle some oil in the pot, then drop in the pasta (I did it in 2 batches). Stir them well to prevent sticking. Cover pot and bring back to a boil. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, stir. Cover again, keep checking them and when they start to float they should be done. Gently strain (I scooped them out with a slotted spoon and put in a strainer). Toss them with a bit of oil.


 * I found a bag of this in my local health food store, but it was $13 and I have no idea how long it was sitting there. To make it yourself, blanch and shock 1 cup of raw almonds. Remove skins and dry well (I patted them down with paper towels, then threw them in the oven for just a couple of minutes - enough to dry them without really roasting them - and removed them from the pan immediately). When they are cool, process them in the food processor with a bit of salt (~1/2tsp) as fine as you can get it without turning it to almond butter. This actually produced more than necessary and you could probably use about 1/2 cup of raw almonds.

I served this with 1 bunch of asparagas and 1/2lb of shiitake mushrooms (stems used for reduction), each tossed with oil, salt and pepper, then roasted at 400F for 15 minutes.