Goat's Cheese Tortellini with Prawns, Pinenuts and Raisins
Where do I even begin? We last left of when Bizou died. I never told what exactly happened. I guess five months ago it was difficult for me to put in in writing. Even today, I get teary just thinking about it, but hopefully this will explain my absence for so long.
The morning that Bizou died, my friend Calley and I were meant to have a Doggie Donation Day for Monika’s Doggie Rescue. We were going to have a stand infront of the supermarket to collect old dog toys, beds and other accessories for the event. We had spent the whole night putting up posters for the event and when I got home, I decided that I was going to make sunflower cupcakes for a gold coin donation. That morning, as we set up our stand, I had only brought half the cupcakes so I told my husband that we had to go back home to get the rest. He said that I should just stay and finish setting up while he went back home to pick up the rest.
That’s when it all happened. As he carried the cupcakes to the car, she slipped out of the gate and was hit by a car. The rest, you already know.
Not meaning to sound too dramatic, but I truly felt that life was so cruel. It was ironic that Calley and I had gone out of our way to do something to help rescue dogs and in the process had lost my own. When you have something special taken away from you so soon, you want to find ways to explain why it happened.
I blamed it on the cupcakes. If I hadn’t baked them, they my husband wouldn’t have needed to go home and get them and Bizou would have not ran out of the gate. I couldn’t step into the kitchen without being reminded of Bizou. And so, as much as I could, I stayed out of the kitchen.
So many things have happened since then that I don’t really know where to start. I guess it will take a few posts to get you up to speed.
But let me begin by telling you about this little bundle lying at my feet as I write this story. For the first few months of her life she scared me. So much so that not a day would pass where I wouldn’t ask myself “what have I done?” A number of times I thought about giving her back. I thought that getting a new puppy would make it easier to move on. Little did I realize that instead, this would be one of the hardest things I’d ever done.
Meet Pash.
Pash
I ate out a lot over the last few months. There is a little cafe near where I lived that served this dish regularly and it was one of our favorites. I remember the first night we ordered it, we were going to share a plate, we ended up ordering three plates. It was that good. The original recipe is from Neil Perry – he serves this at his Rockpool restaurant. Making the pasta is not for the faint hearted. It’s not easy making pasta using only potatoes and flour (no eggs to help bind the mixture) but the results are well worth the effort. If you can’t be bothered, feel free to use regular pasta, or otherwise, I suspect wonton wrappers would work as well.
Goat's Cheese Tortellini with Potato Gnocchi Dough
King Prawn and Goat’s Cheese Tortellini
From Neil Perry’s Rockpool Cookbook, Serves 6
- 12 large prawns, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 cup raisins soaked in hot English Breakfast Tea
- 1/4 cup roasted pinenuts
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese to serve
For the Tortellini
- 200 grams butter
- 350 grams floury potatoes (I used Desiree)
- 150 grams baker’s flour
- 150 grams fresh goat’s cheese
- 1 lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
- To make the tortellini, boil the potatoes in salted water for about 20 minutes until you are able to pierce the flesh all the way through with a knife.
- Place the goat’s cheese, lemon zest, and some lemon juice to taste in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- When the potatoes are cooked, drain them and peel the potatoes and push them through a potato ricer. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and the flour. Mix until the dough forms a cohesive mass. Place half the dough in a bowl covered with a tea towel to keep warm. Take the other half and dust with a little flour as you put it through the pasta machine to ensure it doesn’t stick. Run it through the largest setting a few times until the dough comes together. The dough will not look as smooth as pasta made with flour and eggs.
- Continue to lower the setting of the pasta, ensuring that you use just enough flour to ensure that the pasta doesn’t stick to the machine. Stop when you reach the third to the last setting (it won’t be as thin as regular pasta). Lay the pasta sheet on the bench and trim the edges with a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Cut the pasta into four inch squares as you will be folding the dough over to make triangles for the tortellini.
- Pipe a bit of the goat’s cheese mixture toward the top left hand corner of each square. Fold the bottom right hand corner to the top to form a triangle enveloping the goat’s cheese. You should have the triangles on the bias with the point facing away from you to the top left. Fold the base of the triangle lengthwise so it is level with, and covers, the top point. You will have a long skinny piece of pasta with a bump in the middle.
- Pick up the pasta and wrap it around your index finger with the top point of the triangle facing away from you. Squeeze the two ends together where they overlap and remove your finger. Place on a floured tray and continue with the rest.
- To finish the dish, place some olive oil in a pan and heat. Add the prawns and cook for around one minute on each side, until cooked through but make sure not to overcook the prawns.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tortellini and remove from the pot with a slotted spoon once they float to the top. Set aside and keep in a warm place.
- To serve, place around 4 to 5 pieces of the tortellini around the outside of a plate and the prawns in the middle. Sprinkle with the raisins and pinenuts. In the same pan used to cook the prawns, heat the butter until it starts to foam and smells nutty. Spoon the butter over the prawns and tortellini. Finish with grater parmesan cheese.
Goat's Cheese Tortellini with Prawns, Pinenuts and Raisins
Trissalicious 
Trissa, am so glad to see you back in the kitchen and blogging again!!! Have missed your excellent posts. But totally understand why you’ve stayed away. Got to say that Pash is the cutest thing! I love her name, it’s Aussie for “kiss”, like “Bizou” is French for kiss. So sweet 🙂
Just wanted to say that you shouldn’t blame yourself for anything that happened. Hope you can trust in the fact that everything happens for a reason and it’s all for our own good, There’s something there that we need to learn about ourselves or to change; if it seems painful there’s always something that we can do about it so our lives will be a lot better ultimately. Looks like that’s what you’re doing and I’m very glad and happy for you! Keep it up, don’t let what happened stop you from doing wonderful acts of charity like you were doing on the day that you lost Bizou – I think you have a great potential in this field. You need to not let anything stop you!! 😀 Anyway I hope you take care always, look forward to reading your blog regularly, XS
Nice to see you’re doing well and that you got back you’re confidence in the kitchen. Pash will be great company and surely will bring lots of joys to you! Keep smiling! Jenny
I hope Pash and you are really happy together. Its always trying in the beginning but well worth it. Your torts look delicious!
Welcome back! you have been missed
Oh, Trissa 😦 I’m so sorry to hear that it happened like this. I’m glad you gave us an update though, and I’m happy you’re finding your way back into the kitchen. I did wonder where you had been!
I know there probably isn’t anything that I can do to help, but Bizou would understand, I’m sure. You never ever would have wished for this to happen and he knew that. He knew you loved him and it definitely wasn’t your fault! Life is just… Well, yes – cruel 😦
Trissa, it is so good to see you back! Wow, life is so full of incomprehensible ironies, isn’t it? I hope you find solace in little Pash… hope to meet her one day 🙂
Hang in there with Pash. You are still grieving Bizou and it makes you feel disloyal. You’re not ! Pash looks like a perfect dog, the kind of pooch who will entertain your days with intelligent wonder and a heartwarming personality. This breed is quite loyal..and energetic. And Pash is BEAUTIFUL.
I am very glad that you have returned!
looks absolutely divine. of course I am a sucker for shrimp and pasta — although goat’s cheese, not so much.
glad you’re back though. 😉
I’ve been stopping by and I’m so glad you are back. I found your blog about two months ago and I spent ages looking through all the recipes and photos until I reached the start. I recently lost mum mum very suddenly on new years eve. It was a huge shock and I’m trying to get back into work and regular life but it hurts so much. My mum was a dog lover, she loved her animals so much and your post reminded me of her. I understand some of the pain you feel. I think you are amazingly talented and I adore your blog. Please keep posting because I love the colourful photos and recipes. I have a food blog as well but I haven’t updated it in a few months, I’m hoping to get back into it this month. I guess I lost my blogging mojo:( Anyway keep up the blogging because you have many food loving fans. Sending you hugs from Canberra Australlia,
Love Jem
Hi Trissa! So sorry to hear the story of how Bizou passed on…please know I am sending warm thoughts your way. I can imagine how things related to Bizou’s passing must hurt, even if it is something well loved like cooking. Take you time to do what you need and get back into the rhythm you feel comfortable with. It is nice though to see you here with this yummy looking pasta dish — I would never have the guts to use gnocchi dough to make something so delicate. Bravo to you!
Pash is so adorable…
Welcome back Trissa! Thanks for the update and sharing that delicious recipe. It’s hard when ‘life happens’ and things just can’t be explained… may your new furry friend bring a new great chapter.
The poor doggie, I’m so so sorry about your loss. That was always my fear when I had a dog. I hope it gets better.
Welcome back. I remember your last post and thought of you. I’m glad that you’re back and your new fur baby looks like a sweet friend! The recipe looks amazing, but the real treat is having you back!
Good to see you back, we missed you! Pash looks so cute!
It’s so sad when something like that happens, and it’s even worse when there’s something you can point to that makes you feel responsible, even when you know you aren’t. I’m sorry you had to go through that, and I’m glad you’re back.
So sorry to hear about losing Bizou and I hope that you’ll be able to move on now with Pash filling the void that Bizou left. He looks so adorable. Sometimes those ironies that happen in life are blessings in disguise- they make us stronger and better.
Your cheese tortellini sound so good. I’ve been wanting to try to make pasta from scratch but never came around to doing it. This might just be the right recipe to start with..
Looking forward to your posts.
Trissa, I know how you must have and do feel.. Hugs dear… Hang on .. time heals..
Pash is adorable! I want to hold him
I’m very happy that you are back and understand how traumatised you still are regarding Bizou. We would be distraught if anything happened to our little man – Snoop.
What a beautiful dish. and what a beautiful little puppie. The sadness at losing such a new life can’t dissipate quickly, I imagine. But beauty and sadness are patient companions. Thanks for writing again.
I’m thankful and glad on this first day of the Dragon year to hear from you Trissa.
I’m amazed at your strength to get Pash. I’m glad you have slowly inched yourself towards the kitchen. I pray that the spirit of Bizou and companionship of Pash will work together to continue to bless your life.
Glad you’re back! And Pash is absolutely gorgeous! When we lost our beloved dog to breast cancer it took us 3 years before we could bring ourselves to get a replacement, so I know what it is like! ( We adopted 2 kittens in the meantime) We now have our two cats and a beautiful Golden Retriever Cocker spanial cross who is just adorable. BTW the pasta looks fantastic, too!
welcome back. Time heals and Pash is gorgeous!
This pasta dish looks amazing! I need to make it very very soon..
As for Bizou, I feel your pain and sadness.. my little Bella was run over by a car years ago, and it took a long time for me to get over it. I would love another puppy more than anything but need to wait til I’m a little more settled (and have a backyard) before that can happen. Pash is adorable!
I’m glad you have overcome your struggles in the last few months. And am very happy that Pash has joined your family….she’s so cute. Love the recipe Trissa..the prawns look so Plump against that gorgeous tortellini.
Though the circumstances were different, I can totally relate to the loss of a beloved pet. It’s lovely to see you cooking again — take all the time you need… Pash is adorable and the tortellini ain’t too shabby, either! 😉
I have not blogged since July, nor looked in on others’ blogs until today. Last night for some reason I was googling on pet reincarnation, and people say they do come back. I’m so sorry about your loss and can understand why you would not cook. I am also proud of you for the steps you make to move forward. Bizou would want you to live and love fully I think. Hugs.
Welcome back! I was very sorry to read about the loss of your four legged family member, Bizou. Pash looks beautiful though. Looking forward to reading your posts again.
Pash is just gorgeous. x
Welcome back! I’ve missed seeing what delicious morsels you’ve been making.
Having gone through losing a 4 legged friend who should have had many years ahead of them, it does get easier, but all in good time. No doubt Pash will help!
Keep up the good work.
I’m so glad to see you back Trissa! I’m sure none of your readers think less of you or are in any way annoyed at you for spending time away to grieve Bizou – we’re just glad to hear you’re back and you’re doing better and you’re coming to terms with a difficult and cruel situation. Your new puppy is beautiful and I hope she give syou many, many years of happiness and fond memories!
Trissa, I have missed your posts and I’m so glad to see you back but your return is bittersweet because it’s obvious Bizou’s presence is still very much missed. I completely understand as I have lost a few much-loved dogs myself. It seems almost insensitive to just call them a “dog” for they are so much more than that.
Pash is adorable and I while I suspect he won’t replace Bizou in your heart, I don’t doubt he will help to bring joy back into your life again. Your tortellini looks amazing–I would have had a hard time sharing a plate of it. 🙂
Welcome back–you’ve been missed!
Welcome back Trissa!
I know it is very difficult to get over the loss of a pet, I have been through it myself not once but several times. Hang on in there.
Your new puppy is adorable, I want to reach into the computer screen and pet it 🙂
Your dish looks scrumptious. The perfect come-back dish.
Magda
Losing someone you love is always tragic and the worst thing you can do is blame yourself. Hugs to you and the tough journey you’d had over the past couple of months. Here’s to sunnier days ahead with a new friend by your side, Pash 🙂
Hi,
I always drool, everytime, I come and visit you §;-)
BTW, TY a mill for your Filipina friends links. Adobong Puti or even w/ soya? Absolutely, yummy.
Happy Sunday.
Greetings from a snowy Stockholm,
Welcome back, I missed you…. you do not know me but I feel your pain and the loss of your dog.. however congratulations of your new acquisition… lovely to see you back on the air xox
Awwww Trissa! I’m really sorry for your lost and the hard time you went through since that time, but it’s good to hear from you darling. We missed you dearly.
Welcome back my friend. I know how hard its been, but so so so happy you are back. Bizou is looking down and I bet she is proud as a pickle to have her mum back in the blog world. Great recipe. I do love Goats Cheese. I will most certainly try this dish.