Chocolate Tortellini with a Chilli Oyster Mushroom filling served with Strawberry and Balsamic Sauce

Chocolate Tortellini with a Chilli Oyster Mushroom filling served with Strawberry and Balsamic Sauce

This is Chef Pieter De Klerk’s very own recipe of fusion foods, taking elements of Italian and Thai Foods and combining them together.
chocolate tortellini
Chocolate Tortellini
“I love playing around with flavours that would never seem to go together, but somehow I always make a way for them to work.” – Chef Pieter De Klerk
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For Pasta
250 g Flour
½ tsp Chilli Flake Salt (we like Falk Salt)
3 Eggs
1 Egg Yolk
30 g Cocoa Powder

For Filling
40 g Oyster Mushrooms
½ Onion
2 Fresh Red Chilli’s
20 g Grated Parmesan Cheese
10 g 80% Dark Chocolate
Sauce
6 Strawberries Finely Chopped
2 Tbl Balsamic Vinegar
2 Star Anise
20 ml Strawberry Juice
2 Pinches Chilli Falk Salt (we like Falk Salt)
1 tsp Sugar

METHOD
Sift flour, salt and cocoa powder together into a large mixing bowl.  Whisk the egg and egg yolk in a separate bowl.  Make a well in the centre of the flour and add half of the egg mixture.  Mix the egg into the dough and add the remaining egg if needed.  The mixture comes together to make a soft dough but it must not stick to your fingers.
Knead the pasta dough to a floured work surface until smooth and elastic, wrap with cling film and set aside for 30 mins.
Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the onions until they are soft, add the chilli’s and mushrooms and fry until the mushrooms are tender and until the liquid from the mushrooms have evaporated, add the cheese and chocolate and allow to melt, remove from heat and let cool.
Roll out the pasta dough with a rolling pin until about 2mm thin, cut into 7cm rounds and place a teaspoon full of the filling on one half of each round and brush with egg wash around the filling. Fold the pasta over to make a half moon shape and press to seal and expel any air pockets.  Pick the pasta up and bring the two sides together overlapping each other and press the two ends to seal.
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and allow the pasta to cook for 6 mins or until al dente.
While the pasta is boiling, add the finely chopped strawberries, star anise, flaked chilli salt and balsamic vinegar to a pan, add strawberry juice and sugar, let this reduce until nice and thick but still runny
Serve the pasta with the sauce dappled over and garnish with sprigs of thyme and freshly chopped strawberries.