Lamb, Goat’s cheese, Apricot and Pesto Pasta

Lamb, Goat’s cheese, Apricot and Pesto Pasta
Submitted for the 60th Paper Chef Challenge by Candice Le Noury

Serves 2 generously
For the pasta:


150g plain flour
2 eggs
pinch of salt


To make the pasta:
Put your flour and salt in a mound on a clean counter top. Make a well in the centre and place the two eggs in the well. Slowly with your fingertips, start working the flour into the centre of the well. Once all the egg has been incorporated, knead into a dough with the palm of your hand for 10 minutes. Allow to rest for 20 minutes. Once rested roll pasta out to 2mm thick (or use apasta machine) and cut out circles 7cm in diameter. Now start on your filling.


For the filling:
200g lamb, cut into very small cubes
100g dried Turkish apricots, finely diced
200ml cream
2 tbsp basil pesto
150g Chevin (creamy goat’s cheese)
1tsp butter/oil for frying
1 egg, beaten, for brushing


Fry the lamb with the apricots until cooked and brown on the outside. Spoon a little of the lamb/apricot mixture, with some crumbled goat’s cheese into the centre of each pasta round. Brush the edge of the circle with the egg, fold over to make a half moon, and press the edges closed with the tines of a fork.Continue filling rounds of pasta with the remaining lamb/apricot/cheese mixture.


Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, and cook pasta in batches - it only takes a minute to cook. Once cooked, remove from the water and allow to drain while making your sauce.


To make the sauce, add pesto and cream to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer for a minute or two, until thickened to your liking. Serve pasta pockets in a bowl, with the sauce spooned over, garnished with a few apricots and some extra goat’s cheese and pesto.