MUSHROOM TORTELLINI ALLA PANNA

Roasting mushrooms is a slower cooking method than pan-frying them, but I promise it’s worth the extra time for the delicious umami flavour it creates. Strong, punchy flavours really make a difference to filled pastas, and this dish is finished with a rich, Parmesan cream sauce. Mushrooms and cream are always perfect partners.

Preheat the oven to 220°/200°C fan/gas mark 7

Scatter the mushrooms onto a baking tray, drizzle them with the olive oil and scatter over a small amount of salt (say a teaspoon or so). Turn everything over with your hands to spread the oil and salt well, then tuck in the sprigs of thyme. Place in the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 20–25 minutes.

The mushrooms will shrink and shrivel a little, but they retain lots of moisture and their flavour will have intensified. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool.

Once the mushrooms have cooled, transfer them to the bowl of a food processor, add the ricotta and Parmesan and blend until you’ve created a nice consistent paste. Scoop this out into a clean bowl.

Now the fun starts, rolling and shaping your tortellini. Place the finished shapes onto a tray dusted with rice flour or semolina while you continue to shape the rest.

To make the sauce, pour the cream and the stock into a medium saucepan and set over a low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon and heat until the mixture is warm enough to melt the Parmesan; scatter over the grated cheese and stir it in with a wooden spoon or a whisk. Set to one side while you cook the pasta.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil before adding salt, carefully drop in the tortellini and cook for 2 minutes. Lift the tortellini from the pan using a slotted spoon and add them to the sauce. Swirl together and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Share in between four warmed bowls and serve with a fresh green salad on the side.