Beef tortellini with yoghurt sauce

The uses for yoghurt know no bounds, especially in Mediterranean cuisine. Here, it's thickened and spiced to add a creamy, tangy element to beef dumplings.

Beef tortellini with yoghurt sauce Credit: One World Kitchen

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 ½ cups (225 g) flour
• 1 tsp salt
• ⅔ cup (160 ml) water

Filling

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 150 g ground beef
• ½ tsp all-spice
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup pine nuts, toasted

Sauce

• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 3 ½ tbsp water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 cup full-fat plain yoghurt
• ¾ cup (180 ml) water
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice 

To serve

• ⅔ cup basmati rice, cooked
• ⅓ cup coriander, chopped
• Lemon wedges
• 3 tbsp pine nuts, toasted

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt for the dough. Make a well, and add water to the flour slowly, mixing with your hands. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and set aside to rest.
   
   
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. 
   
   
3. Add the onion and ground beef and sauté until meat is cooked through. Add the allspice, nutmeg, black pepper, and salt and turn heat to medium-low. Cook until onions are soft. Remove from heat, stir in the pine nuts, and set aside to cool. 
   
   
4. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out very thinly on a lightly floured surface. Using a 1 ½-inch (3.8 cm) cutter or a shot glass, cut out rounds from the dough. 
   
   
5. Put approximately one teaspoon of beef filling into the centre of each round. Fold round in half to create a half-moon shape, pinching edges closed with your thumb and index finger. Place your index finger against the flat edge of the half moon, then pull the bottom corners around your finger to touch. Remove your finger and pinch corners together, leaving a small gap between the fold and filling. 
   
   
6. Repeat until all the tortellini are made, then put on a plate and put in the refrigerator. 
   
   
7. To make the yoghurt sauce, mix cornflour with water until smooth. Set aside. 
   
   
8. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over low heat and add garlic. Sauté until golden. Add yoghurt to saucepan, then whisk in ¾ cup (180 ml) water, and bring to a boil, making sure to stir constantly. Add cornflour water, continuously whisking. Add cumin, pepper, and salt and cook for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat. 
   
   
9. Add lemon juice and stir. 
   
   
10. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add tortellini. Reduce heat and cook until tortellini is cooked through. Drain tortellini well and place back into the pot. Pour sauce over tortellini and stir.
    
    
11. Serve with cooked rice. Garnish with fresh coriander, juice from a lemon wedge, and toasted pine nuts.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.