Pumpkin Tortelloni with Brown Butter and Sage

from Cooking with Italian Grandmothers.

I will be the first to admit, I didn’t do a great job with photos on this one.  I got sort of caught up in the actual cooking, and where I remembered to take pictures of the mundane part of this assembly, the actual building of the Tortelloni escaped me.  Ahh well…

The filling for this Tortelloni is butternut squash, Parmesan, egg, salt, white pepper, pinch of nutmeg, and a very special ingredient that gives the dish a bittersweetness that is amazing.

First, roast a butternut squash.  You’ll need a couple of cups.  This then gets mashed.  I first tried it in the food processor with the cheese… didn’t work.  Moved it to a bowl with a potato masher- much better.  Sometimes easy instruments are best.

After you mash up the squash, you add the other ingredients- ready for the great reveal?

That’s right… Amaretti Cookies!  I got these at DeLaurenti in Pike Place, but you could probably get them at a regular grocery store?  Not sure.  Any excuse I have to shop at DeLaurenti I take it.

The recipe calls for about six tablespoons crumbs, which was half a bag.  That leaves me a half a bag to munch on while I cook.  It’s really win win.

These get mixed into the filling.

Next, make the pasta dough.  From shaggy mess / mass to smooth ball…

Divide into eight sections and run them through a pasta machine (no photos of this of course) When there are long strips, drop by table spoon two inches a part on the bottom of each strip.  Spray with a little water and fold the top half of the strip over to cover.  Try to get air pockets out and cut into squares with a rotary cutter or a knife.

This is where I remembered to pick up my camera again.  Oops.

These can be set aside on a floured sheet until ready to boil.

Boil five to ten minutes.

Meanwhile, brown some butter in a pan with some sage leaves.  This should be done slowly so the sage can get nice and crispy without burning.

When the Tortelloni is done, toss them with the browned butter.  Top with Parmesan and  fresh pepper.