Thai Pesto Tortellini with Kimchi
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Thai Pesto Tortellini with Kimchi

Prep 35 mins
Cook 20 mins
Serves 4

This fusion pasta dish combines Tofu with the fresh, fragrant, spicy flavours of Asia with the comforting bite of Italian pasta to create a light but satisfying lunch or suppertime treat. Serve with a crunchy, sweet and sour kimchi.

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Ingredients

For the Pesto:
½ block Cauldron Organic Tofu
3 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, finely diced
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 stick of lemongrass, roughly chopped
1 heaped tbsp root ginger, roughly chopped
75g pinenuts
40g basil
40g coriander
½ small, red chilli
Zest and juice of ½ lime
1 tsp brown sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

For the Pasta:
150g pasta flour
1 tsp salt
60g tofu
1 tbsp olive oil
5-6 tbsp cold water

For the Kimchi:
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
80ml cold water
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 heaped tsp Kimchi Paste
½ white onion, sliced
2 pak choi, sliced

Method

  1. To prepare the kimchi, gently heat the vinegar and water. Add the sugar and salt and stir until dissolved. Stir in the kimchi paste then add the vegetables. Cover and refrigerate. This can be made up to a week in advance and kept in the refrigerator.
  2. To make the pasta, sieve the flour and salt and place in a food processor. Add the 60g of tofu and blitz then add the water little by little until a dough is formed. Knead well for 5-10 minutes then cover in cling film and refrigerate until needed.
  3. To make the pesto, gently fry the shallots and garlic for 2-3 minutes in the vegetable oil. Pour into a food processor along with the lemongrass, ginger, pine nuts, basil, coriander, chilli, lime, sugar, salt and black pepper. Blitz until smooth.
  4. Remove 2 tbsp of this and set to one side for later to make a dressing for the cooked tortellini.
  5. Add the half block of tofu to the food processor with the pesto and blitz for a further 2 minutes.
  6. Remove the pasta from the chiller and using a pasta roller or rolling pin, roll to a thickness of approximately 1mm. Cut into 6cm rounds, add a tsp of the pesto filling to each circle and draw up the edges of the pasta to form a mini pasty shape nipping them together to seal well then turn the pointed edges towards each other and pinch together to form a tortellini shape.
  7. To cook the tortellini, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, reduce to a simmer add the pasta and cook for 4-5 minutes.
  8. Meanwhile prepare a little dressing for the tortellini by placing the reserved 2 tbsp of pesto in a pan, add a little vegetable stock to make a runnier consistency and heat gently.
  9. Serve the tortellini with a drizzle of the pesto dressing and a generous spoonful of kimchi.
  10. Adding a little tofu when making the pasta helps to increase the protein content and gives more bite whilst the addition of tofu to the pesto enhances the creaminess and indulgence of the dish.
  11. Any leftover kimchi can be kept in the fridge for up to a week.

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