Pumpkin tortelli with butter and sage

To prepare the pumpkin tortelli, start with the filling, which should rest in the refrigerator for at least overnight or preferably for 24 hours to let the flavors blend. Take the pumpkin and cut it into pieces 1 to more easily remove the seeds and inner fibers 2. Then slice it 3

and place the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper 4: bake in a preheated static oven at 428°F for about 20 minutes (or in a fan oven at 392°F for about 10 minutes). Check the cooking from time to time by piercing the pulp with the tines of a fork: the pumpkin should be soft but not burnt. While the pumpkin cooks, crumble the amaretti in a bowl using your hands (5-6).

Chop the Mantuan mustard of pears (or quinces) with a knife 7. You can also use a grinder if you prefer a finer result. Once the pumpkin is cooked, let it cool in the turned-off oven so it dries and loses as much water as possible. Then scoop out the cooked pulp using a melon baller or spoon 8 and pass it through a potato masher 9, collecting it in a small bowl.

Then add the mustard 10 and the crumbled amaretti to the pumpkin 11, mix with a spatula 12

and also add the grated cheese 13, blend well and add the egg 14. Once absorbed into the filling, salt to taste and season with nutmeg 15. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or better yet, for 24 hours.

The next day, prepare the fresh pasta: sift the flour into a large bowl 16 or onto a pastry board, then add the room temperature eggs and quickly beat them with a fork 17 and combine the ingredients by hand until you obtain a soft, non-sticky dough 18. If it is still sticky (which may depend on the absorption rate of the flour used), add a little more flour sparingly; if, on the contrary, the dough is dry, you can moisten it by adding a little room temperature water. It is also important to respect the egg dosage as indicated to achieve the perfect egg pasta consistency.

Shape the dough into a ball 19 and wrap it in plastic wrap. Let it rest at room temperature in a cool place for at least 30 minutes. After the necessary time has passed, retrieve the dough and divide it into at least two parts (as you work it, keep the unworked dough covered with plastic wrap); use a pasta machine or a rolling pin to roll each piece of dough until you get rectangles about 0.08 inches thick (20-21).

Lay the rolled pasta on a lightly floured work surface, trim the sheet with a pasta cutter to obtain a strip 3.5 inches wide, and place small mounds of filling (about 0.5 oz) on the top part of the strip (leaving at least 0.4 inches from the edge), spacing the mounds a few inches apart along the entire strip of fresh pasta 22. Fold the fresh pasta strip to cover the filling (23-24): if the sheet is a bit dry, you can lightly brush it with a little water.

Press between the spaces of the filling mounds to adhere the pasta edges 25, before cutting the tortelli with a fluted pasta cutter 26: the shape and size of the tortelli may vary according to taste and tradition. We made rectangles 1.8x2.4 inches. As you make the tortelli, place them on a tray lined with a lightly floured dry kitchen cloth or paper 27. Continue this way until all the fresh pasta and filling are used: you will end up with about 40 tortelli.

Then place a large pot with salted water on the stove. Prepare the seasoning by melting butter in a very large pan with sage, lightly salt it, and turn off the heat when completely melted, being careful not to burn it. When the water is boiling, drop in the pumpkin tortelli to cook them 28: it will take 3-4 minutes. Then drain them with a slotted spoon 29 directly into the pan with the now melted butter and sage 30.

Season with grated cheese 31, gently mixing the tortelli 32, and season with ground pepper if you like, then plate 33: your tortelli are ready to be enjoyed!