Christmas Tree Pasta with Chestnut & Brown Butter filling

Making these, I knew they would instantly become a Christmas tradition for us. 

I’d just finished making some inedible gingerbread cookies with my daughter when the Christmas tree shaped cutter caught my eye. Why don’t I make some pasta? 

Spinach in the pasta gives it a great green colour and the filling can be anything of your choice. I love ricotta and chestnuts are perfect for this time of year. 

Ingredients:

Pasta:

350g 00 flour

3 eggs

80g frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed as much as poss

Filling:

200g ricotta

100g chopped cooked chestnuts

75g butter

1 egg

Pinch of black pepper

½ tsp ground nutmeg 

For the sauce:

50g butter

1 tomoato, deseeded and medium diced

½ red onion, medium diced

Splash of olive oil

Method:

Whizz spinach together with three eggs in a food processor until blended. Empty flour onto work surface, make a well in the middle and pour in spinach egg mix. Using a fork, slowly stir in the mixture until the is fully incorporated. Knead, and then rest in the fridge for an hour. 

For the filling, heat butter in a frying pan over a medium heat until it starts to fizz. Add chestnuts, and stir and cook for five minutes. Keep an eye on them and stir regularly so they don’t burn. Take off heat. Once cool, mix with ricotta and add nutmeg. 

Divide pasta mix into four and run through a pasta machine. I like mine quite thick and do it to 5. 

Choose a festive cookie cutter - I used a tree as the pasta is green - and cut out shapes. Wet the edge of one of the shapes, add a teaspoon of filling to the middle (how much you use depends on the size of your pasta shape - you can remove some or add a bit more if it’s not quite the right amount) and then press firmly around the edges to seal. I leave the top til last so I can gently force as much air out of the pasta before finally sealing them. 

Add pasta to a pan of boiling salted water, careful to not overcrowd. Cook until they rise to the surface. 

In another frying pan, add butter and then onion. Cook over a medium heat for five minutes, and then add tomato. Cook for another 2 minutes, add a glug of olive oil. Remove the pasta and place into frying pan and shake to cover with butter. Add a splash of pasta water if needed to loosen. 

Serve with a grate of cheese. I used Grana Padano.