Would you like to take onions to a fine-dining level? Are you also a fan of seaweed and umami flavour? If so, check out this recipe by Chef Aggeliki Charami. The Greek-born chef is hoping to earn a Michelin star. As we all know, that doesn’t just fall from the sky. This tortellini recipe demonstrates just how labour-intensive (yet still achievable!) fine dining can be.
“A dish about one ingredient (onion) across all its lives, inside an ocean of umami.” – Aggeliki Charami
Handmade tortellini with an umami filling
Ageliki Charami, the executive chef at the Paradiso Pure.Living vegan hotel, LA VIMEA and the OMNIA plant-based restaurant, has a penchant for Asian and Japanese cooking techniques, as well as umami flavour. This vegan recipe, which she shared with us, is the most elaborate one on our blog so far and is perfect for special occasions. The noodle dough, which is coloured with a little turmeric, is the easiest part.
The onion-umami filling, on the other hand, requires a trip to a Japanese speciality store. The flavour of the caramelised onion is enhanced by kombu (seaweed), shiro miso (Japanese seasoning paste), umeboshi (fermented Japanese fruit) and rice wine.
Sustainability fact: seaweed is considered the vegetable of the future. It grows without the need for freshwater or fertiliser, and it absorbs huge amounts of CO₂. However, importing it from Japan undermines its environmental sustainability due to the long shipping distances involved. A more climate-friendly alternative is to source seaweed (kelp) from Europe, for example from France or the Baltic Sea.
But the dish is far from finished yet . As we work our way through the recipe, we’ll make our own rosemary oil (it’s easier than it sounds!) and prepare three different onion toppings for more experienced cooks, as well as a seaweed bisque and a lemon potato cream. We’ll then “dab” these onto the dish before serving.
By the way, this is what Aggeliki says about the recipe:
“This recipe is really simple. I created it so that you can easily make it at home, without needing any special restaurant equipment or complicated techniques.”
Well then! Go for it and surprise your guests (or just your favorite person) with this special dish. We hope it turns out great, and enjoy your meal!
PS: If you would like to tell your guests about the creator of this dish when you serve it, take a look at the interview with Aggeliki Charmi here.
Vegan Tortellini Recipe “ONION & SEA” by Aggeliki Charami
Equipment
- pasta machine optional
- dough mixer optional
- blender / food-processor
Ingredients
Turmeric Tortellini Dough
- 450 g Flour (Italian Tipo 00 flour)
- 225 g Water
- 15 g Salt
- 15 g Turmeric
Umami Onion Filling
- 450 g caramelized onions
- Margarine and sugar to caramelize
- 40 g Kombu (Seaweed/Kelp)
- 30 g Ginger powder
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 80 g Black pepper
- 80 g White miso (Shiro Miso)
- 100 g Mirin (Japanese rice wine)
- 100 g Walnuts
- 40 g Maple syrup
- 15 g Umeboshi (fermented ume plums)
- 40 g Sesame oil
- 80 g Apple cider vinegar
- Salt & white pepper to taste
Burnt onion crumble
- 500 g Oven-roasted onions
- 100 g Almond flakes
- 500 g Crushed almonds
- 250 g Oats
- 42 g Baking powder
- 260 g Flour (Italian Tipo 00 flour)
- 240 g Aquafaba (chickpea water)
- 12 g Salt
- 120 g Sunflower oil
Rosemary oil
- 130 g Spinach
- 50 g Rosemary
- 400 g Sunflower oil
Roasted & caramelized onions
- 2-6 whole Onions with skin (as many as you like)
Pickled Onion
- 500 g Thin sliced onion
- 300 g Rice or apple vinegar
- 120 g Sugar
- 20 g Salt
- 50 g Mirin (rice wine)
- 1 sheet Kombu (seaweed)
- 5 g Black pepper
Lemon Potatoe Cream Sauce
- 170 g Lemon juice
- 35 g Sugar
- 250 g Boiled potato
- 500 ml Olive oil
- Salt to taste
Seaweed Bisque
- 40 g Kombu (seaweed)
- 20 g Wakame (algae)
- 10 g Nori (algae)
- 300 g Onion
- 200 g Leek
- 100 g Celery
- 250 g Mushrooms of your choice
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 80 g Tomato paste
- 60 g White miso (Shiro Miso)
- 100 g Mirin (rice wine)
- 150 g White wine
- 30 g Maple syrup
- 2 l Water
- 80 g Olive oil
Instructions
For the Rosemary Oil
- Heat oil to 40°C.
- Add the spinach and rosemary, and stir gently for 5 minutes.
- Strain through a fine cloth.
For the Umami onion filling
- Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend them into a thick umami paste.
- Chill 2 hours before filling.
For the onion crumble
- Mix all ingredients (onions, almonds, oats, flour, baking powder, aquafaba, oil, salt)
- Chill for 2 hours.
- Bake the crumble in the oven at 170 °C on the convection setting for 15–20 minutes. Stir it frequently until the crumble is crispy.
For the pickled onion
- Bring all the ingredients except the onions (i.e., vinegar, water, sugar, salt, mirin, kombu, and pepper) to a boil in a pot.
- Pour hot over onions and let it sit for 1 hour.
- Drain lightly; the onions shouldn't be completely dry.
For the seaweed bisque (soup)
- Roast the vegetables (onions, celery, leek, mushrooms).
- Add tomato paste and deglaze with wine and mirin.
- Add seaweed and water; simmer for about 45 minutes.
- Blend the bisque. Finish with miso and maple syrup to taste.
For the turmeric tortellini
- Mix flower, turmeric and salt.
- Add water and knead 8–10 minutes until smooth.
- Put it in a zip-top bag or wrap it in plastic wrap or wax paper (it's important that the top layer doesn't dry out!) and let the dough rest for 30–45 minutes.
- Roll to thin sheets (pasta machine No. 6–7) and cut them into 6 × 6 cm squares.
- Fill each pasta square with 6–8 g of the filling and fold into tortellini. This needs a bit of practice, but you'll get the hang of it.
For the roasted and caramelized onions
- Roast the whole onions with skin at 180°C for 30 minutes.
- Peel and separate into layers.
- Caramelize gently in pan.
For the lemon potato cream
- Blend all ingredients (Lemon juice, sugar, potatoes, Olive oil, salt) into a smooth acidic cream.
Final Plating
- Cook the tortellini for about 2–4 minutes in a large (!) pot.
- Pour seaweed bisque into the bowl.
- Add the cooked tortellini and top with the lemon-potato cream.
- Add caramelized onion petals.
- Add pickled onion.
- Sprinkle with the onion crumble.
- Finish with rosemary oil and nori powder.
