Top Chef Tortellini

So recently I had this predicament: what to do with a one-pound package of tortellini sitting in my fridge with an expiration date looming on the horizon? A simple preparation with jarred pasta sauce might do, but knowing that I was going to make an early exodus from work that day, I knew I had some extra time to concoct a more involved dish.

I searched high and low across all the internets (yes all of them) for tortellini-based recipes, and made the executive decision to go with this recipe for Tortellini Salad with Fresh Herb and Tomato Vinaigrette that I uncovered on Foodnetwork.com. Top Chef fans will immediately notice that this comes from Michael Chiarello, who was a finalist on the recently-aired Top Chef Master's finale. He didn't win and neither did the chef I was rooting for--Hubert Keller--but this recipe is definitely a big winner in my book.


(copied straight from foodnetwork.com at the above link )
Tortellini Salad with Fresh Herb and Tomato Vinaigrette
by Michael Chiarello

• 2 pounds packaged tortellini
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 1/4 cups
• 4 cups freshly diced tomato
• 4 tablespoons chopped tarragon leaves
• 4 tablespoons chiffonade basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley leaves
• 2 minced shallots
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/4-inch thick into approximately 30 slices
• 4 cups fresh arugula
• Gray salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the tortellini according to the package instructions. When fully cooked, drain and toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and allow to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a nonreactive mixing bowl, combine the diced tomatoes, herbs, shallots, lemon juice, and remaining 1 1/4 cups olive oil. Mix to combine and season with gray salt and pepper to combine. When the tortellini have cooled to room temperature toss with the vinaigrette.

To serve, line the perimeter of a large serving platter with overlapping slices of the mozzarella. Spoon the tortellini salad in the center and scatter the arugula leaves over the top.
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I used sage instead of tarragon (Whole Foods was out. Boo!), and also substituted block mozzarella instead of fresh as I was looking to save on the overall cost. Hey easy there -- I'm saving up for the 35-course "Gamut" at Michael Mina's XIV in West Hollywood. I also halved the portion, because seriously, what am I going to do with 2 pounds of tortellini salad? I'm feeding two people in the danieleats.com household and I already know I'll have leftovers for the next day, or dinner #2 if you read my last post. Also, I'm not really sure what gray salt is, but suffice it to say that Kosher salt will work just as well and that no one will exclaim "oooh is that gray salt I detect?!" Oh is that so, Mr. Ramsay?




Since I already had the pasta, I just needed to procure the herbs, arugula, and few other items. Basil is cheap these days; this entire bunch was $1.25.



A few pics of the finished masterpiece.





And there you have, dinner is served. Total time for prepping and cooking: about 45 mins and this would have been closer to 35 but a certain four-legged staff member kept wanting my attention in the living room. And the cost came out to roughly $15 for ingredients, as since this serves 4 easily, you're looking at under $4 per serving. Recession friendly indeed.


Dinner for two and no one was injured during the process.