Recipe for Pumpkin Tortelli (Tortelli di zucca)

Ingredients for the filling:

• 1 kilogram of yellow sweet pumpkin (if you cannot get it, use butternut, Hubbard or acorn squash, or sweet potato instead)
• 6 spoons of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese shredded
• Salt
• Nutmeg
• Lemon juice or grated skin
• 6 amaretto cookies pulverized
• 100 grams of breadcrumbs (possibly oven roasted)
• oil
• Optional: Syrup of Cremona’s mustard (preserve made from candied fruit in grape must or sugar with mustard)

Ingredients for the pasta dough:

• 200 grams of white flour 00
• 2 eggs
• salt
• oil

Ingredients for the sauce:

• 100 grams of butter
• 6 spoons of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese shredded
• Sage leaves

How to prepare the filling:

Prepare filling up to 2 days in advance, but definitely before pasta is rolled out. Remove the seeds from the pumpkin, do not take away the peel, slice it and roast the slices in the oven until soft.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Arrange the pumpkin in a roasting pan, sprinkle with rock salt, drizzle with the oil, cover with foil, and bake for about for 45-50 minutes, or until tender when pierced with the point of a knife. Alternatively, boil the pumpkin in hot and salted water until it become soft.

Remove from the oven or boiled water, allow to cool enough to handle, then scrape the pumpkin flesh from the skin. Place the flesh in a muslin cloth or a fine sieve and hang overnight above a bowl in a cool place to drain off all the excess liquid. If you are in a rush, wait for the filling to cool down before processing it.

Mash the pumpkin pulp. You might want to place the pumpkin in a food processor and blend until smooth. Or, you can mix manually. When the pumpkin is mashed, add the ingredients (Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese shredded, amaretto cookies pulverized, breadcrumbs, and eventually the syrup of Cremona’s mustard). Season to taste with lemon juice or grated skin, nutmeg, salt and pepper. If you are using a food processor, pulse-blend to combine until the stuffing is homogeneous. Mix well and taste. Filling should also be fairly firm and loosely hold together when formed in ball. If not, add up to 2 tb breadcrumbs.

How to prepare the pasta dough:

Mix the flour and salt together and tip on to a work surface or board. Make a well in the center. Mix together the eggs and oil and pour two-thirds into the well, reserving the rest. Starting from the outside, work the flour into the liquid until a dough forms. The dough is conditioned by its environment, so depending on the warmth of your kitchen and hands, you may need to add the remaining egg mixture if the dough does not come together. Knead until it is smooth, firm and elastic (this will take 5-10 minutes). Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 1 hour before using. The dough will keep for up to 24 hours in the fridge if wrapped tightly first in cling film and then in foil.

 

How to prepare Tortelli

Divide the dough in quarters and work with 1 portion at a time, keeping rest tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. Knead and roll out on pasta machine to next-to-thinnest setting.

Roll out and cut up the pasta dough (cut into 3-4 pieces, use a rolling pin to flatten a piece to the width of your pasta machine. Run it twice through the narrowest notch. Using a serrated pastry wheel, cut into a long strip 10cm wide.

Put 1 heaped teaspoon of filling at 2cm intervals along each strip of pasta. Fold over the long side of pasta nearest to you. Cup your hand and carefully press down around each mound to get all the air out. Using a serrated pastry wheel, cut out individual tortelli about 3cm square. Diagonally fold over 1 corner of rectangle to meet opposite corner to form "paper hat".

Set aside on floured kitchen towel and repeat until all dough is used up. Froze the tortelli before cooking them, it is the best way to prevent them to stick together when cooking.

Make sure that sage leaves are dry. Place the butter in a saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium heat, whisking vigorously to stop the mixture splitting. Add 3 whole leaves of sage. When the sage leaves are brown, take them away and save to garnish the plate. Chop 3 sage leaves, add in the boiling butter and immediately switch off the fire.    

 

Cooking instruction

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add frozen tortelli in boiling water and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until pasta is cooked. Cooking time really depends on the thickness of pasta but in any case pay attention not to overcook them. Remove with slotted spoon, working carefully to avoid breaking pasta. Drain the tortelli, place in a warm serving dish.

 

How to serve Tortelli

Drain and serve, drizzled with the sage butter. Add the sage leaves just before serving. Sprinkle heated serving dish with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Toss gently. Buon appetito!!!

Nutrition Facts

Each serving approximately contains about:

• 274 calories;
• 115 mg sodium;
• 105 mg cholesterol;
• 11 grams fat.
• 37 grams carbs.
• 8 grams protein.
• 1.44 grams fiber.