TORTELLI WITH CHICKPEAS AND CHOCOLATE BY CHEF DANNY RUSSO

  Time: about 1 hour
  Difficulty: moderate
  Serves: 10 people

  INGREDIENTS

The Dough

• 62 gr butter, soften

• 62 gr Icing Sugar

• 150 gr chickpea Flour

• 200 gr strong Flour

• 100 mls marsala

• 1 each whole Egg

The Filling

400 gr chickpeas, coarsely pureed

• 200 gr dark Chocolate, grated

• 10 gr Dark Dutch Cocoa Powder

• 3 gr ground cinnamon

• 50 gr sugar

• Icing Sugar for dusting

METHOD

The Dough

Cream the butter and icing sugar together. Add flour to the mix. Then add the eggs and marsala. Roll out the dough to desired thickness.

 The Filling

Mix all ingredients together and allow to rest before using.

 To Assemble

Unwrap the dough and cut into 5-6 small pieces. Roll each piece until it’s flat (if the dough is sticking on the working bench, put a teaspoon of vegetable oil on the surface and distribute it well, so you don’t create a slippery workbench).

Fill a medium-large pot (use a 2-litre pot or larger) with sunflower oil until the pot is half full. Set it on a low heat (160c) and let it warm while you assemble the Tortelli. Roll the dough using a rolling pin or pasta machine.

When the pastry is slightly translucent (the thinnest setting on a pasta machine), using a sharp knife, cut into 8cm rectangles. Place a small ball of the filling in the centre of a pastry rectangle.

Fold in half to form a triangle. Seal the two sheets of pastry as tightly as possible. Then attach the two bottom corners(wings)together, it should appear like a Tortelli. Once all the Tortelli are filled and sealed, check the temperature of the warm oil if you have a thermometer – it should be around 160°C. Set up a tray with lined some absorbent paper. Gently place 3 Tortelli in the oil at a time.

When one side is golden, floating and has developed a bubbly surface, flip and cook until golden on the other side. Repeat with the remaining Tortelli. Once all the Tortelli are cooked, place on the paper-lined tray and wait approx. 5 minutes for the dough to cool down.

Dust the Tortelli with icing sugar and serve.