PERFECT PAIRING

GIORGIO DISTEFANO'S RICOTTA TORTELLINI WITH GARLIC, CHILLI AND LEMON OIL

Concrete Playground
October 28, 2019

This meat-free meal still packs a flavour punch — and is the perfect way to spice up your midweek menu.

In October, a handful of Melburnians were given the unique opportunity to have top chef Giorgio Distefano cook for them in an intimate setting. As part of Red Rock Deli’s Secret Supper series, Distefano — who you’ll normally see behind the pass at Ms. Frankie in Cremorne — hosted two spectacular three-course dinners.

The theme of the evening was ‘Elevation of the Senses’, so the menu featured simple dishes masking intense flavours inspired by Rock Deli’s new Chilli, Roast Garlic and Lemon Oil Deluxe Crisp flavour. To start, there was a charcuterie board with oven-baked ricotta, pumpkin, chilli and parmesan arancini and house-made bread. And to finish, guests tucked into lemon pannacotta with mixed berries.

But it was the main course of tortellini filled with ricotta and lemon zest and slathered with chilli, garlic and lemon oil that really had us salivating. And, luckily for those that missed out or nabbed a seat and loved it so much that they want to eat it again, Distefano has shared the recipe with us. Read on and bookmark this one for your next elevated midweek meal or leisurely cooking afternoon.

RICOTTA TORTELLINI WITH GARLIC, CHILLI AND LEMON-INFUSED OIL

INGREDIENTS: PASTA

300g semolina flour
3 eggs
60ml glass of water

INGREDIENTS: FILLING

500g ricotta cheese
Lemon zest of 1 fresh lemon
60g parmesan
salt and pepper
sprinkle of fresh nutmeg

INGREDIENTS: BUTTER CHILLI SAUCE

1-2 tbsp of butter
1 clove of minced garlic
1 fresh red chilli
lemon zest

Click through the gallery below for the full recipe.

Ricotta filling

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate until needed.
Tortellini

Add all ingredients to a mixer and bring together in to a firm dough. Let pasta rest in fridge for 6–7 hours. Feed the pasta dough through a pasta machine from the widest to the thinner setting. After the sheet of pasta dough has reached the requisite thickness cut into 5x5cm squares and fill with ricotta filling. Close the square in triangle shapes and join opposite ends to form tortellini. Cook tortellini in boiling water for 6 mins.
Chilli, Lemon and Butter Sauce

In a saucepan add the butter, minced garlic, fresh red chilli and lemon zest (no lemon juice). Create an emulsion by adding some water from the pasta as required to create a light chilli-lemon butter sauce and let cook for 2-3 mins.
Serving

Carefully add the tortellini and sauté for 2 mins until tortellini are covered with sauce. Serve with dried lemon slices, fresh chilli and shaved parmesan.