You know the rules. You can have pasta or you can have crust, but surely not both in the same recipe. Ah, well if you make the past cheese and spinach-filled and if you add additional cheese and if you add pancetta, then all is well. From Potpies by Elinor Klivan’s Potpies. this recipe is one you can enjoy all year round. I suppose it is better on a cool night, but I can imagine indulging on hot cheese even at the peak of summer.
The recipe calls for Elinor’s Extremely Flaky Sour Cream Crust. I’m not including the recipe here. That’s an inducement to you to get your very own copy of Potpies. That way you support the author and, even better, have access to the full spectrum of treats in this classic book.
You can personalize this recipe by changing the tortellini employed in the filling. Seafood or meat-filled ones will give you a new and different treat.
Tortellini and Pancetta Potpie
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients:
- 6 ounces pancetta, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped onion (1 medium)
- 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ¼ cup lightly packed coarsely chopped fresh basil
- ¾ cup chicken broth (low sodium, if canned)
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 9 ounces (about 2 ½ cups) cheese-filled egg tortellini
- 9 ounces (about 2 ½ cups) cheese-filled spinach tortellini
- Extremely Flaky Sour Cream Crust [page 22 in Potpies]
Preparation:
Early April, folks, I’ve botched this up. Will repair as soon as I can.
April 28, 2018. Here’s the correct recipe. Sorry to all.
Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 4OO°F. Rub l teaspoon olive oil inside a baking dish with an 8 – cup capacity.
In a medium skillet, cook the pancetta pieces over medium heat until the edges brown, about IO minutes. Transfer the pancetta to a large bowl. In the same skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the onion and cook until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and basil and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth and adjust the heat to cook it at a gentle boil until it is reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Add the cream, bring to a boil, then immediately remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Stir the sauce into the pancetta in the bowl. Add the salt and pepper and taste for seasoning. Set aside.
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the tortellini for 5 minutes. Drain the tortellini well and stir them into the pancetta and sauce to coat them with sauce. Transfer the pasta to the baking dish.
Lightly flour the rolling surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough to a shape that is 1 inch larger than the top of the baking dish. Roll the crust around the rolling pin and unroll it over the top of the baking dish. Fold J/2 inch of the edge of the crust under to form a smooth edge. Use your thumb and forefinger to pinch the edge into a scalloped pattern or fluted edge around the edge ofthe dish, while pressing it firmly onto the rim. Cut four 2 -inch-long slits in the top ofthe crust to release steamwhile the potpie bakes. Use a pastry brush to brush the top with the 1 teaspoon olive oil.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned. Let rest for 5 minutes, then use a large knife to cut wedges of crust and filling.
Source: Potpies by Elinor Klivans [Chronicle Books, 2006]