Jim Stevens's Recipe

Cheese Tortellini in Tomato Cream Sauce

Category: Recipes

The recipe title may say cream sauce, but this rich yet trimmed-down sauce (with low-fat milk and flour) skips the heavy cream entirely. And there's a flavor surprise in the background---a touch of orange juice that lends a slight sweetness to this excellent dish. For best results, use fresh tortellini, sold in the refrigerator section of most supermarkets.

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ginger, freshly grated
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/4 cup milk, 2%
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
2 Tbsp orange juice
2 Tbsp parsley minced
1 Tbsp mint springs
1 lb tortellini

Procedure
1 In a large non-stick skillet, heat the oil until hot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is golden brown, about 10 minutes.
2 Start heating a large pot of water to boiling for the pasta. Add 1/2 cup of water to the onion mixture and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, sugar, and ginger and cook until the sauce is flavorful and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. In a food processor or blender, puree the tomato mixture until smooth.
3 Place the flour in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Whisk in the tomato puree, salt, and pepper and cook until the flavors are blended, about 1 minute. Whisk in the orange juice, parsley, and mint.
4 Meanwhile, cook the tortellini in the boiling water until just tender. Drain well. Place the tortellini in 4 shallow bowls,spoon the tomato cream sauce on top, and serve.

Suggested Accompaniments: Watercress and Belgian endive salad with a lemon vinaigrette. Follow with plum halves broiled with a little brown sugar and sprinkled with crushed gingersnaps.