Mushroom, spinach and asparagus saccottini

Matt Tebbutt recipe

Preparation time
over 2 hours

Cooking time
10 to 30 mins

Serves
Makes 24

Dietary
Vegetarian

Saturday Kitchen Recipes 14 Jan 2023By 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:

  1. Gruyere: Another good choice with a nutty flavour.
  2. Brie: Creamy and mild, it pairs well with various dishes.
  3. Gorgonzola Dolce: If you want something with a funky smell similar to Taleggio.

Method

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
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