Tortellini (Shoosh-barak)

This is one of our Tata's specialties! It's labour intensive, but very tasty and unlike any tortellini you've had. We've always eaten this stuffed with kofta, but I'm sure you could try some other meat or vegetarian combination. 

This recipe comes in multiple parts -- the dough, filling, sauce and topping.

DOUGH

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp salt

Mix all of the ingredients (either by hand or a stand mixer with the dough hook) adding the water a little at a time. Cover it with a tea towel and let it rest for approximately 30 minutes.

KOFTA FILLING

• 1 lb extra lean ground beef
• 1 large onion
• ½ a bunch parsley (leaves only)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp allspice
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp cardamom

In a food processor, mince the onion, parsley, and spices. Add the meat and pulse it just a couple of times. Remove the meat mixture from the food processor and continue mixing with your hands until all the spices are well blended into the meat.

Assembling the dumplings

On a floured surface, roll out your rested dough to about 2 mm thick using a rolling pin. Then use a round cookie cutter (or small Turkish coffee cup) about 5 cm in diameter to cut the dough into small circles. Gather all the dough surrounding the circles; knead it and let it rest for 30 minutes before rolling again.

In the meantime, start making the dumplings.  Place about a teaspoon of filling in the centre of a dough circle. Fold the dough over in half so it covers the meat completely. Press the edges together to create a half-circle, taking care not to have any holes on the edges. Then take the two ends and bring them together pressing firmly to create a tortellini shape. As you complete the tortellinis, place onto a tray covered with a tea towel. Continue until all the dough and meat have been used up.

YOGURT SAUCE

• 6 cups of Balkan style yogurt
• 2 cups of water
• 2 tbsp of corn starch
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot mix well the corn starch and water.  Then add the yogurt and whisk together. Cook uncovered on very low heat, stirring occasionally making sure that nothing sticks to the bottom.

Every 10 minutes increase the temperature of yogurt sauce gradually until you reach medium heat and then increase it to high and keep stirring until it boils. This process should take 30-40 minutes at most.

Once yogurt comes to a boil, add your seasonings.

GARLIC TOPPING

• 2 tbsp of minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp of dried mint
• 2 tsp of olive oil
• 1 tsp of butter

In a small sauce pan, heat the butter and olive oil and fry the garlic. Just as it starts to brown, add the dried mint and let the flavour diffuse into the oil on low heat for about 30 seconds or so.  Remove from heat to stop further cooking.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Add all dumplings one at a time into the pot of boiling yogurt sauce. The dumplings will float to top initially, and will sink to the bottom once they are done cooking. Lastly, add the garlic topping to the pot. Add a ladle of yogurt sauce into the frying pan to deglaze it, then pour it back into the pot.

Serve immediately!