Pumpkin tortelli

To make the pumpkin tortelli, start with the filling, which must rest in the fridge at least overnight, although 24 hours is preferable, in order for the flavors to blend together. Take the pumpkin and cut it into segments 1 to remove the seeds and inner strands more easily 2. Then cut the segments into slices 3

and place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper 4: Bake in a conventional oven preheated to 425°F (220°C) for around 20 minutes (390°F (200°C) for around 10 minutes in a convection oven). Check on the pumpkin every now and then, pricking the flesh with the prongs of a fork: It should be soft but not burnt. While the pumpkin is cooking, place the amaretti cookies in a bowl and crumble them using your hands (5-6).

Chop up the Mantuan pear mustard (or quince) 7 using a knife. You can also use a meat grinder if you’d like, for a finer result. Once the pumpkin is cooked, leave it to cool in the oven, switched off, so that it dries out and loses as much liquid as possible. Next, remove the cooked flesh using a melon baller or spoon 8, and pass it through a potato ricer 9 into a bowl.

Then add the chopped pear mustard 10 and crumbled cookies 11 to the pumpkin, stirring with a spatula 12,

and pour in the grated cheese as well 13. Stir well to combine and add the egg 14. Once the egg has been completely absorbed into the filling, season with salt and nutmeg to taste 15. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to rest overnight or, even better, for 24 hours.

The next day, make the fresh pasta: Sift the flour into a very large bowl or onto a pastry board. Next, quickly beat the room-temperature eggs with a fork 16 and add them to the flour. Combine the ingredients with your hands until you get a soft, non-sticky dough 17. If it’s still sticky (this can depend on how well the flour used absorbs the eggs), add a little more flour without going overboard; if, on the other hand, the dough is too dry, you can moisten it by adding a little room-temperature water. It’s also good to be sure to use the quantity of eggs stated so that you get the perfect consistency for your egg pasta. Shape the dough into a ball 18 and wrap in plastic wrap.

Leave it to rest at room temperature in a cool place for at least 30 minutes. After this time, take the dough and divide it into at least two parts 19 (as you work, leave the rest of the dough still to be worked covered with plastic wrap). Using a pasta roller or rolling pin, roll out each piece of dough until you get rectangles about the thickness of a dime (1 mm) (20-21).

Lay the rolled-out pasta sheet onto a lightly floured work surface and cut it using a pasta cutter wheel to form a strip 3½ inches (9 cm) long. Place dollops of filling (approx. ½ oz (15 g) each) along the top half of the entire strip 22, leaving a little less than half an inch (1 cm) from the edge and spacing the dollops around ¾ inch (2 cm) away from each other. Fold the pasta strip up to cover the filling (23-24): If the pasta is a little dry, you can brush it lightly with a bit of water.

Press down in the spaces between the dollops of filling to make the two sides of the pasta sheet 25 stick together, and then create the tortelli using a fluted pasta cutter wheel 26: The shape and sizes of the tortelli may vary depending on taste and tradition. We made rectangles measuring 1¾ inches x 2? inches (4.5 x 6 cm). As you make the tortelli, place them on a tray covered with lightly floured paper towel or dry dishcloth 27. Repeat these steps until you’ve run out of pasta and filling: You’ll get around 40 tortelli, ready to be cooked and dressed with the condiment of your choice!