Chestnuts tortelli with celeriac and Grana Padano

For the pasta
Beat the eggs with a fork and gradually incorporate the flours. When the ingredients start to bind together, knead by hand with energy. Remember, during this step it is important to stretch and pull your dough while kneading to allow the flour’s gluten to start working and therefore obtain and elastic dough. After a few minutes, it will slowly come together and result in a smooth and homogeneous dough. As not all eggs are the same, if your dough feels too sticky, feel free to add a spoon of flour, if too dry and not binding, you can add a touch of water.

This step can also be done with a free-standing mixer to make your life easier

When ready, wrap your dough in clingfilm and leave to rest for about 30 minutes, this will allow the dough to ‘relax’ and not be too elastic when shaping your pasta.

For the filling
Blitz the boiled chestnuts into a grainy powder and mix it with all the other ingredients. Make sure it is well seasoned and add a little warm milk, if necessary, to bind it. You want a paste-like consistency. When ready, place it into a pastry bag.

Proceed to roll the dough into thin pasta sheets. If you have a wooden board great, if you don’t, a clean surface will work.
First, slice the pasta into thick sheets and flatten them with a rolling pin. With the help of a pasta machine, roll the pasta out. (This can also be done by hand using a rolling pin and lots of elbow grease!).
It is good practice to fold your rolled pasta on itself and start over a couple of times, this process will give you a smoother and rectangular sheet that will be easier to work with at a later stage.

Pass the pasta gradually from the largest setting to the required thickness. For these tortelli, I used the second to last (twice).

Cut the paste sheet into circles and place dollops of filling in the middle of them. Now, brush the edges with a little water and fold them in half, then press the edges together to seal them. At this stage, pinch the 2 ends of the half-moon ravioli together as shown on the video to create the tortelli. This step is easier to do than to explain and I assure you the recipe won’t be affected even if you decide to fold your pasta parcels in a different way.

Place the tortelli on a tray with baking parchment and dust with a little flour. Keep them ready in the fridge for a few hours or freeze them, if not using the same day.

To the celeriac sauce
Trim and peel the celeriac, then slice it roughly. In a large pan, fry the chopped onion in olive oil, add a pinch of salt and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat until golden. Now add the sage and butter and after 2 minutes add the celeriac. Braise for a couple of minutes, add just enough water to cover the celeriac and cook until soft. When ready, blend into a smooth puree along with the grated Grana Padano cheese and a splash of cream to achieve a creamy consistency. Season to taste and keep aside.

In a separate pan, prepare the butter dressing for the tortelli. Brown the garlic and sage with the butter then remove both. Save the now crispy sage to use as garnish and ‘cool’ the brown butter with a splash of water (or even white wine).

Drop the tortelli in salted boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes (until soft to the touch). Drain and toss the tortelli in the pan with the butter dressing and mix to coat.

When ready to serve, place some of the hot celeriac sauce on the bottom of the plates, top with the chestnut tortelli and some of the butter dressing and sprinkle with a last touch of grated Grana Padano cheese. Garnish with the crispy sage and chopped almonds.