At least once a month, a package of fresh tortellini will end up in my shopping cart. I like it because of its culinary flexibility and the fact I can use it in dishes that match the season.
For example, on a hot summer day, I’ll use cooked and cooled tortellini in a mayonnaise-based pasta salad rich with pesto, feta cheese and cherry tomatoes. On a snowy, winter day, I’ll make something hot, creamy and comforting with it, such as a skillet full of tortellini Alfredo.
Last week, though, when the spring weather was blustery and cooler than normal for this time of year, I felt like making a hearty, Italian-style soup, one ladled into serving bowls that were filled with just-cooked tortellini.
The process began by sautéing some onions and bell peppers in olive oil until tender. Flavourings for the soup, such as minced garlic, tomato paste and dried herbs, were stirred in and heated a short while. Broth — vegetable or chicken — was added, along with canned, diced tomatoes and chopped fresh kale. The soup was then simmered until the kale was tender.
While the soup simmered, I cooked some fresh tortellini in salted boiling water until they were tender, and then drained them. The tortellini were then divided and set in four large, shallow soup bowls. The simmering broth mixture in the pot was then poured over the tortellini, creating filling bowls of soup you could serve for lunch or dinner.
As noted, the soup serves four, but if you were only serving two, two portions of the soup could be cooled to room temperature in individual freezer containers and then frozen for another time.
The soup could be served with Italian-style bread, such as focaccia from your favourite bakery. Or, bake it yourself using today’s second recipe, for olive focaccia with rosemary, sea salt and pepper. It’s an aromatic, flavourful bread that works very well with the tortellini soup.
Tortellini Vegetable Soup
Fresh tortellini is cooked, drained, set in bowls and topped with a tomatoey, vegetable-strewn broth mixture, creating a filling and hearty soup.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: About 18 minutes
Makes: four servings
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 (14 oz./398 mL) can diced tomatoes
• pinch granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups loosely packed chopped kale leaves
36 to 60 fresh rainbow, cheese-filled tortellini (see Note)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese and/or red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil to cook the tortellini.
While the water is coming to a boil, heat the oil in a second pot set over medium, medium-high heat (my pot was eight inches wide and four inches tall). Add the onion and bell pepper and cook three to four minutes, until softened. Now add the tomato paste, garlic, basil and oregano and cook one minute more.
Add the broth, 1/2 cup water, diced tomatoes and sugar to the pot (the sugar will help balance the acidity in the tomatoes). Bring the soup to a simmer, and then add the kale. Simmer the soup 10 minutes, or until kale is tender.
While the soup simmers, add the tortellini to the boiling water and cook them until tender (check package for suggested cooking time). When the tortellini is cooked, drain them well and then divide them among four large soup bowls.
Taste the soup mixture, and then season it with salt and pepper, as needed. Ladle some of the soup mixture over the tortellini in each soup bowl. If desired, let diners top their soup, tableside, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and/or a sprinkling of red pepper flakes.
Note: Fresh tortellini, depending on the brand, can vary in size, which is why I have given a range on how many to use in this recipe. For example, if the tortellini are larger, such as Duso’s brand are, you’ll only need to add nine or 10 cooked tortellini to each bowl of soup. If the tortellini are smaller, such as Olivieri brand are, you’ll want add 12 to 15 cooked tortellini to each bowl of soup. A 350-gram package of fresh tortellini will yield the number of tortellini needed for this recipe plus some leftover tortellini you could freeze, uncooked, to use at another time. Beyond cheese-filled tortellini, other types, whether filled with meat or vegetables, will also work in this recipe.
Olive Focaccia with Rosemary, Sea Salt and Pepper
Focaccia bread topped and baked with a mix of olives, aromatic rosemary, flaked sea salt, and coarsely ground black pepper.
Preparation time: 25 minutes, plus dough rising time
Cooking time: 20 to 22 minutes
Makes: One loaf
2/3 cup lukewarm (not hot) water
1 tsp active dry (traditional) yeast
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus some for the bowl and drizzling
1/4 tsp fine salt
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
24 pitted mixed (black and green) olives, patted dry
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary, or dried rosemary, to taste
• flaked sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper, to taste
In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the water, yeast and sugar. Let mixture stand five minutes to dissolve the yeast.
Mix in the 1 Tbsp olive oil. If using a stand mixer, add 1 1/4 cups of the flour and mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If it’s still quite sticky, mix in some or all of the remaining 1/4 cup of flour. Add the fine salt, and then mix and knead the dough for another five minutes.
If mixing the dough by hand, slowly add one cup of the flour, working it into the yeast/water mixture with a spoon until the dough loosely clumps together. Now mix in the fine salt. Lightly dust a clean work surface with the remaining flour. Gather the dough, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary, and set it on the counter. Dab it lightly in the flour to coat it, and then knead for six to eight minutes, until the dough is smooth, but still slightly sticky.
Lightly grease a deep bowl with olive oil. Place the kneaded dough in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise at warm room temperature until doubled in size, about 60 to 75 minutes.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly oil a nonstick baking sheet, and then place the risen dough on it. Gently press and stretch the dough into an oblong that’s about nine-inch long and six-inch wide. Set the olives at different spots on top of the dough. Push the olives halfway into the dough so they stay in place. Sprinkle the top of the dough with the rosemary, flaked sea salt and black pepper. Let topped dough sit and rise on the baking sheet 30 minutes.
Set an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Bake the foccacia for 20 to 22 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Remove focaccia from the oven and then drizzle with a little olive oil. Serve the foccacia warm or at room temperature.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
