Borlotti bean tortellini with guanciale broth

Ben Waugh borlotti tortellini SigS final
  • 4
  • 1 hour 30 minutes plus 4 hours for soaking the borlotti beans and 2 hours for making the chicken stock
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These delicate little borlotti bean tortellini are served in a rich guanciale broth made by infusing guanciale into chicken stock. The tortellini are simply filled with puréed borlotti beans - and they pair beautifully with the fragrant stock. Ben Waugh finishes this dish with extra crispy guanciale, but this is optional.

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First published in 2023

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Borlotti bean purée ragù

  • 50g of borlotti beans, dried
  • 1l chicken stock
  • 5g of salt
  • 5g of thyme
  • 3 sprigs of rosemary

Pasta dough

  • 500g of 00 flour
  • 200g of egg
  • 8g of salt
  • 25g of water
  • 15g of olive oil

Guanciale broth

  • 1kg chicken bones
  • 3l water
  • 200g of onion, halved
  • 200g of leek, cut into large chunks
  • 200g of celery, halved
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 50g of thyme
  • 100g of guanciale, cut into even pieces

For finishing

  • 1 egg, beaten
  • olive oil, for finishing
  • chopped chives
  • 200g of guanciale, cut into slices

Equipment

  • Pasta machine
  • Stand mixer with dough hook
  • 5cm metal pastry rings

Method

1

Put the dried beans in a bowl and cover with water. Allow to soak for a minimum of 4 hours

  • 50g of borlotti beans, dried
2

To make the pasta dough, put all the ingredients in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, then remove from the bowl and knead on the workbench into a bowl

  • 500g of 00 flour
  • 200g of egg
  • 8g of salt
  • 25g of water
  • 15g of olive oil
3

Wrap the dough in cling film and put it in the fridge for 2 hours to rest

4

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6

5

Roast the chicken bones in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown

6

Transfer the roasted bones to a pan and cover with water. Bring the pan up to the boil and skim off any scum. Once at the boil, add the veg and cook for 2 hours

  • 3l water
  • 200g of onion, halved
  • 200g of leek, cut into large chunks
  • 200g of celery, halved
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 50g of thyme
7

Put the soaked beans, stock, salt, thyme and rosemary in a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer the beans for 45 minutes or until they are soft

8

Once cooked, drain the beans, reserving the liquid. Set aside a few of the beans for garnishing, and add the rest of the beans to a blender. Blend up the beans with just enough bean stock to form a smooth purée. Set aside

9

After the chicken stock has cooked for 2 hours, strain it through a chinois. Return the strained stock to a pan and add the guanciale. Simmer until the stock until it has reduced by half, then strain through a fine chinois

  • 100g of guanciale, cut into even pieces
10

Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7

11

Line an oven tray with parchment paper. Place the slices of guanciale on the tray, and top with another piece of parchment paper. Place an oven tray over the top. Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes, or until crisp. Cut into small, even pieces and set aside for garnishing the dish

  • 200g of guanciale, cut into slices
12

Roll the pasta out in a pasta machine, starting from the thickest setting. Gradually work down the thicknesses until you reach either number 1 on the machine or until the pasta reaches 2mm in thickness. 

13

Cut the pasta into discs, 5 pieces at a time, using a 50mm round cutter on a lightly floured surface. Brush the circles of pasta with the beaten egg. Pipe 10g of bean purée in the middle of each circle of pasta

14

Brush the edges of the tortellini with more beaten egg if necessary. Fold the pasta disc in half to make a semi circle, pressing the edges down firmly and squeezing out any trapped air. Take the bottom corners and fold them around your index finger so that they meet. Squeeze the corners together so that they bind. Store in a container generously dusted with semolina, and repeat with the rest of the tortellini

15

Warm up enough guanciale broth to have 150ml per serving

16

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, and add the tortellini. Blanch them for 1 minutes 30 seconds, and then remove. Take out with a slotted spoon, and add them to the broth. Check the seasoning

17

Place a spoonful of tortellini in each bowl and top with 150ml warm broth. Finish with a few drops of olive oil, some of the reserved borlotti beans, chives, pieces of guanciale and serve

First published in 2023

Having worked as part of the Gordon Ramsay Group for over ten years, in 2021 Ben Waugh decided to leave behind the world of fine dining to oversee the food at Bib Gourmand-winning pasta restaurant group, Bancone. As group executive chef, he’s now instrumental in ensuring that the menu remains consistently excellent as the business expands.

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