4tablespoonground lactarius powderyou could substitute another dried mushroom here, lobster mushrooms would be great
3tablespoonwater
½tsalt
Tortelli Filling
4ozcream cheeseat room temperature
3tablespoonground parmigiano or domestic parmesan plus more to garnish
¼teaspoonsalt and a pinch of fresh ground black pepper
3ozstinging nettlesblanched and chopped (this is about ½ cup packed)
Lactarius Broth
⅔cupdriedPowdered, dried lactarius mushrooms
2carrotschopped
2ribs of celerychopped
2yellow sweet onionschopped
2 tomatoeshalved
12cupswater
Kosher salt to taste
Optional Lobster Oil Garnish
1cooked or raw lobster bodychopped, crushed and broken into tiny pieces
½cupflavorless oil like grapeseed or canola
1cloveof garlic
1tablespoonpaprika
Sprig of fresh thyme
Instructions
Optional lobster oil
Heat all the ingredients for the oil and simmer for 20 minutes, then cool strain and reserve.
Lactarius mushroom broth
The broth can cook while you make the dough, let it rest and make the filling; so do that fist. Combine the broth ingredients in a small stock pot, bring to a boil, simmer at low heat for an hour, then strain and cool. Season the broth to taste lightly with salt.
Lactarius pasta dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or food processor, combine the egg, powdered lactarius mushrooms, salt, and flour, work the dough adding the water as needed to create a stiff dough. Work the dough for about 5 minutes until it springs back a bit when pressed with a finger. If the dough struggles to come together, continue adding water a teaspoon or two at a time until you get a nice, firm dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes while you make the filling.
Cheese and nettle filling
Combine the chopped nettles, cream cheese, salt and pepper. Reserve until needed. (This can be done ahead of time)
Filling and shaping the tortelli
Roll about ¼ of the dough out at a time, going down to the lowest setting available on your pasta machine, some machines may list this as "zero". When the dough is rolled out, cut out rounds using the rim of a glass or a ring mold and then brush half of each circle with beaten egg. Fill each circle with a teaspoon of filling, then fold in half to seal.
Fold the half moons in half again to create the tortelli shape. (The tortelli can be made like this, then frozen on a cookie sheet and held in plastic bags, lightly floured. You could do this a month or two in advance and just have them ready, frozen fresh pasta will cook straight from the freezer.)