Mushroom Fagottini, Pomodoro Sauce, Anchovy Oil and Homemade Ricotta

Pasta dough

1. In a kitchen aid bowl, mix the flour and salt together.
2. In a separate bowl, add the egg yolks to the whole eggs.
3. On medium speed, gradually add the eggs to the flour mixture and knead until it forms a smooth dough. (Adding the eggs slowly will ensure a lump free product.)
4. Add the oil in last just the dough comes together completely, as this will help all the loose bits in the bowl pull into the dough and give the dough a glossy look.
5. Knead the dough until very elastic, about 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Place the dough into a clean, dry glass bowl and cover with a WET cloth. This ensure that the dough does not form a skin while resting. Rest the dough at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Homemade Ricotta

1. To a large pot, add the milk and the salt.
2. Heat the milk to a temperature of 88 – 90 degrees. (if you don’t have a thermometer, this is the point at which the milk starts to steam and forms a light skin on the surface. The point just before it starts to boil or simmer.
3. Once the milk is at temperature, add the lemon juice and stir though until just combined.
4. Remove from the heat and leave to rest about 15 minutes. At the point the curd will separate from the whey. 
5. Place a sift over a large bowl. Line the sift with a double layer of muslin cloth, ensuring the cloths has a hang over the side of the bowl on all sides.
6. Pour the curd and whey mixture through the muslin cloth.
7. Leave to drain about 30 minutes. Here you want to remove as much liquid as possible. You can wrap the cloth closed at the top forming a hanging ball. Squeeze the cloth to help drain water faster.
8. Place with to the side until later.

Mushroom Filling

1. To a medium heat frying pan, add the olive oil. Fry the onion until translucent, add the slices garlic and sage and fry approximately 2 minutes.
2. Add the sliced mushrooms to the onion mixture and fry until everything become brown and caramelized.
3. Season with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.  Remove the sage leaves.
4. Add the mixture to a blender and pulse until mixture becomes slightly smoother.
5. Add the sour cream and blend until mixture is relatively smooth.
6. Add the mixture to a pipping bag and place into the fridge to cool down completely.

Tomato Pomodoro sauce

1. In a medium heat saucepan, add the olive oil. Add the onions until slightly brown.
2. Add the garlic and sage. Fry about 2-3 minutes, keeping an eye not the burn the garlic as this will make the sauce bitter.
3. Add the tinned chopped tomatoes and turn down the heat to low.
4. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Simmer on low for about 20 – 30 minutes. The longer the sauce reduces, the sweeter and more flavour it will develop.  If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little water.
6. Once the sauce has reduced to your liking, remove from heat and cool down slightly.
7. Place the sauce into a blender when slightly warm (if the sauce is cold, it will not blend smooth and remain chunky and gritty). Blend until smooth adding a little of the pasta water at a time, from which the pasta was cooked in to help emulsify and bind  the sauce.

Anchovy oil

1. In a low heat, warm a frying pan. Add the oil. Heat slightly. 
2. Add the anchovy fillets and break it up with a wooden spoon while frying.
3. Add the finely chopped garlic, freshly squeezed lemon juice and black pepper.
4. Reduce the heat to very low and let this simmer for about 5 minutes to develop flavour.
5. Remove from heat until later.

Assembling the pasta

1. Once the pasta has rested, cut the dough into 4 parts.
2. Beginning on the largest setting on the pasta machine, roll out the pasta into a flat sheet.
3. Fold the sheet into 3 and roll though pasta machine until the sheet is smooth.
4. Slowly roll the pasta sheet through each setting, moving down one setting at a time. Roll the pasta until the last setting. You must be able to see your knuckle shape through the pasta once done.
5. Place the pasta sheet flat on a floured surface and cute 5cm x 5cm squares from the sheet.
6. Using the pipping bag filled with the mushroom filling, pipe a dollop of filling in the centre of each square.
7. Taking the two opposite sides of each block, bring the two corners top and bottom of each side towards each other. Push the two opposite joined corners towards each other to form a pyramid shape, making sure to remove all air from inside the pasta filled pocket.
8. Ensure you seal the edges and middle point tightly, for when you boil the pasta pockets, they do not come open.
9. Add the pasta pockets to boiling heavily salted water and boil for about 8 – 10 minutes. 
10. Using a slotted spoon, remove from the water and place into a baking tray or bowl which has very lightly been brushed with olive oil. This will ensure it does not stick to the bowl.

To plate the dish

1. In your desired bowl of choice, place a large spoon full of tomato pomodoro sauce. Make sure to spread it slightly as this will be the bed on which the pasta will be placed.
2. Arrange your pasta pockets on top of the sauce in a circular shape, portion size should always be uneven numbers, depending on the size of your pockets or course on your menu, this can change from 5, 7 or 9 pockets per person.
3. Drizzle the anchovy oil over the top of each pasta pocket, ensuring that you get some of the larger chunks of anchovy to ensure this amazing flavour shines through.
4. Crumble a little the ricotta  in-between each of the pasta pockets. 
5. You can also garnish this dish with crispy sage leaves for extra crunch. Enjoy!