Preparation time
over 2 hours
Cooking time
10 to 30 mins
Serves
Makes 24
Dietary
Vegetarian
By Theo Randall
From Saturday Kitchen
Ingredients
For the pasta dough:
- 00 flour: 350g/12oz
- Fine semolina flour (plus extra for dusting): 25g/1oz (plus 50g/1¾oz for dusting)
- Free-range eggs (beaten together): 2 (plus 4 free-range egg yolks)
For the pasta:
- Extra virgin olive oil: 2 tbsp
- Chestnut (cremini) mushrooms (sliced): 250g/9oz
- Asparagus spears (tough ends removed): 250g/9oz
- Spinach: 400g/14oz
- Taleggio (rind removed and finely chopped): 150g/5½oz
- Mascarpone: 150g/5½oz
- Unsalted butter: 100g/3½oz
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Alternative Ingredients
If you’re looking for a substitute for Taleggio cheese, here are some options:
- Gruyere: Another good choice with a nutty flavour.
- Brie: Creamy and mild, it pairs well with various dishes.
- Gorgonzola Dolce: If you want something with a funky smell similar to Taleggio.
Method
- Making the Pasta Dough:
- Combine both flours in a large bowl.
- Add the beaten eggs and 2 tablespoons of water.
- Mix with a fork until combined, then use your hands to form a smooth dough.
- Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Preparing the Filling:
- Heat olive oil in a small frying pan.
- Add mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes until reduced, dark, and slightly sticky.
- Season with salt and black pepper, then let them cool. Finely chop and set aside.
- Cook asparagus in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, then remove and set aside to cool.
- Bring the water back to a boil, blanch spinach for 1 minute, and drain.
- Assembling the Filling:
- Squeeze cooled spinach dry with a cloth and finely chop.
- Finely chop the cooled asparagus and transfer to the same bowl.
- Add the cooked mushrooms, taleggio, and mascarpone. Mix well. Season and set aside.
- Rolling Out the Pasta:
- Divide the pasta dough into four equal pieces.
- Roll out one piece on a semolina-dusted surface until thin enough for your pasta machine.
- Pass it through the machine on the widest setting, fold in half, and roll again. Repeat four times.
- When the pasta is thin enough (you can see your hand silhouette), it’s ready.
- Cutting and Filling – making saccottini:
- Cut out a 7cm/2¾in square from the pasta sheet.
- Use this square as a template to cut all the pasta into equal squares.
- Place the squares in a single layer with a damp tea towel on top.
- Add a generous teaspoon of the filling to the center of each square.
- Wet the outside edges of the pasta with a sprayer or wet brush.
- Fold opposite corners together to form a parcel, ensuring no gaps and pressing out air.
- Chilling and Cooking:
- Arrange the filled saccottini on a tray lined with semolina-dusted baking paper.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours to dry out the pasta.
- Boil the saccottini in salted water for 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a warm frying pan.
- Transfer the cooked saccottini to the pan, add a ladleful of pasta cooking water, and gently cook to emulsify.
- Serve in warm pasta bowls with black pepper.
