Umami Tortellini

I simply love working with fresh pasta. However, sometimes the situation simply doesn't allow it. For those moments, I like to make it extra special. Now, let me tell you about how I ended up doing this recipe.

If you go to Italy you will most likely stumble upon a dish called "tortellini burro e salvia". It is a plate containing cheese-filled tortellini and a sauce made with butter and sage. As simple as it sounds, it is truly amazing nevertheless.

However, I wanted to make it more 'me' and made some changes that I think brought this dish to an umami level. Now the first thing that I changed was to use spinach filled raviolis. As for the additions, I brought garlic, walnuts, and anchovies to the table.

This being said, let's see how to prepare a gourmet dinner in less than 15 minutes.

• Put a big pot with water to a boil. Add a tablespoon of salt to it.
• In the meantime, in a skillet add the butter and let it melt.
• When all the butter has melted, stir in the anchovies. They should disintegrate in less than a minute. Remember that the anchovies will not give you a fishy taste but will bring out the umami flavor I was telling you about.
• When there is no more trace of anchovy left, it is time to add the walnuts. I like to cut them in halves but please feel free and adjust their sizes as you like.
• Stir to coat the nuts into the butter and let them fry until they get a golden touch.
• Take the skillet off the heat and add the sage. You will see that almost instantly, the sage becomes crispy. This is exactly what you are looking for.

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• When the water starts to boil add the tortellini to the pot and cook them as specified on their package. If they are fresh, they should be ready in 2-3 minutes

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• Once they are boiled, it is time to add them into the skillet with the rest of the components

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• Mix well and serve with as much or as little grated parmesan as you like. Also, don't forget to grate some fresh black pepper on them.

I really don't think that additional salt is required, but please feel free to add if your preferences require it.

As for a short history of this pasta shape, it was firstly created in 1570 in the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy. However, the exact place is not known because Modena and Bologna both claim to be the place where the first tortellini were ever made.

Now, regardless of their precise place of birth, this type of filled pasta is very tasty and I am happy that somebody more than half of the millennium ago was inspired to create it.