I know this photo doesn’t look like tortellini but I encourage you read on to discover the whole story.
Sometimes disasters in the kitchen can be devastating. That is one of the reasons I test my recipes for my classes several times before teaching them. However, other times they can be the perfect opportunity to create something that you have never done before.
Continuing on my journey of cooking different dinners for us I decided to make a dish that I had used some time ago and hadn’t done so for ages. The original recipe makes delicious little morsels that are crunchy yet soft in texture and delicate yet flavoursome on the palate. I made the filling as normal then began to set out my wonton wrappers (the easy way to make tortellini) only to find that because they had been frozen for (I am ashamed to say) way too long that they were dry in parts and not sticking properly when I rolled them. Then after I had boiled and fried them they dried out more than usual. Being a little short on time I thought I’d do the best I could but after my second round I decided on a change of tack.
I wanted to keep using the filling and had the thought of shaping them into quenelles and gently frying them in the same manner that the original recipe referred for the tortellini and that is exactly what I did.
So what I hope I have provided you with in this post is the link to Jamie’s original recipe (which is great) and the courage that if something goes wrong in the kitchen that you can usually turn it around.
chicken tortellini my way (recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver’s original)
serves 4 – 6
My tips: *I used a combination of chicken thigh and breast meat as I like the flavour and texture of both together. If you don’t have a food processor you can purchase minced chicken. *Making queenelles is not difficult once you know how. There are lots of instructions on the net if you search for them. Wetting the spoons that you use to create the shapes will help stop the mixture sticking. *You can always just shape these into small balls if you like.
The better adaptation
My not so good effort at the original recipe
ease: 7/10. If you haven’t shaped tortellini or quenelles before you may find the technique a little challenging but stick with it as it gets easier the more you do it.
prep time: 30mins.
cooking time: 15mins.
total: 45mins.
taste: 9/10. The tortellini turned out not too bad at all but I have to say the star for us was the filling made into quenelles. They packed a flavoursome punch while still being delicate and had a nice crunch coming from the shards of water chestnut that were distributed throughout the mixture. We ate these with steamed jasmine rice dressed with a mixture of soy, ginger, sesame oil and peanut oil which was a great contrast to the freshness of the chicken. All in all, we loved this.
would I make it again: For sure – Either as the original recipe or my adaptation.
Chicken tortellini recipe – From Jamie Oliver
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