Mantuan Pumpkin Tortelli with Butter and Sage

La storia di questo piatto

Born in Mantua, in Lombardy, and shared with the tables of Piacenza and Reggio Emilia, these tortelli carry a tradition rooted in the late Middle Ages and polished in the princely kitchens of the Renaissance. Sweet pumpkin and the bite of mostarda meet in one small parcel: autumn folded into pasta.

Ingredienti

• 800 g Mantuan or Delica pumpkin (with skin and seeds)
• 50 g Dry amaretti biscuits
• 60 g Mostarda di Mantova (mixed fruit, well mustard-spiced)
• 60 g Grated Parmigiano Reggiano (for the filling)
• 30 g Grated Parmigiano Reggiano (for serving)
• 1 pinch Nutmeg
• 1 pinch Ground black pepper
• 300 g Type 00 flour
• 3 piece Whole eggs
• 100 g Butter
• 12 piece Sage leaves
• 3 g Fine salt (for the filling)
• 10 g Coarse salt (for the cooking water)
• 3 l Water (for cooking)

Preparazione

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C and, while it heats, cut the pumpkin into wide wedges. Remove seeds and stringy fibers with a spoon, but leave the skin on: it protects the flesh and lets it dry out instead of boiling in its own steam. Arrange the wedges on the tray flesh-side up and bake for about 40 minutes. It is ready when a fork slides in without resistance, the edges are amber-colored and the flesh separates from the skin with a spoon. This roasting concentrates the sugars and is the heart of the dish.
2. Let the pumpkin cool for at least 20 minutes so you can handle it without burning yourself, then scoop the flesh away from the skin with a spoon. Pass it through a food mill or mash it with a fork, never in a blender: it would become too watery and the filling would not hold. Spread the purée in a wide bowl and let it air-dry a little. It should be firm and almost dry: if it still feels moist, pour it into a fine sieve and press with the back of a spoon for 10 minutes, until it stops releasing water.
3. Crumble the amaretti until nearly powdered, then finely chop the mostarda into small pieces, reserving its syrup. Combine everything with the purée, 60 g of Parmigiano, the nutmeg, the pepper and 3 g of fine salt, and mix well. Taste: it should be sweet-and-sour, with the mustard heat coming through at the end and the amaretti keeping it from being cloying. Use the reserved syrup to adjust the sweet-sour balance, one teaspoon at a time: it adds more piquancy and brightness, but add it cautiously because it softens the filling. If the mixture is too soft, add a tablespoon of amaretti; if too sweet, a little more mostarda. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight: the rest lets the flavors meld and firms up the filling.
4. Pour 300 g of flour onto the work surface in a mound, make a well in the center, break in the 3 eggs and beat them with a fork, gradually drawing in the flour. Then knead by hand for 10 minutes, pushing with the heel of your palm and folding. The dough is right when it is smooth, elastic and no longer sticks to your fingers: if it is too firm, wet your hands; if too soft, dust with a little flour. Wrap it in cling film and let it rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature: the gluten relaxes and the sheet rolls out without shrinking back.
5. Roll out the pasta with a rolling pin or pasta machine until you have a thin sheet, almost translucent: you should be able to make out your fingers beneath it. Cut strips 7-8 cm wide and place a mound of filling the size of a walnut on each, spaced 4-5 cm apart. Cover with another strip, or fold the strip over itself, and press with your fingers around each mound to expel all the air: trapped air would puff the tortelli during cooking and make them open. Cut out the squares with a fluted pastry wheel and lay them on a floured cloth, without overlapping them, otherwise they will stick together.
6. Bring 3 litres of water with 10 g of coarse salt to the boil. As soon as it returns to the boil, lower the heat: the water should only simmer, with small bubbles barely breaking the surface, because a hard boil will burst the tortelli. Lower the tortelli a few at a time, gently pushing them to the bottom with a slotted spoon. Cook for about 5 minutes: they are ready when they float to the surface and the pasta at the edges is soft but still slightly al dente.
7. While the tortelli cook, melt the 100 g of butter in a wide pan over medium-low heat. When it starts to foam, add the 12 sage leaves and let them fry gently: the butter should stay golden and smell of hazelnut, never blacken, or it will turn bitter. Remove from the heat as soon as the leaves are dark and crisp. Lift the tortelli out with a slotted spoon directly into the pan, add a ladle of cooking water and swirl the pan gently, without using a spoon that would break them: the butter and water bind into a glossy cream that coats the pasta.
8. Plate immediately, sprinkling with the 30 g of Parmigiano for serving and a grind of pepper. Taste a tortello before bringing it to the table: if the filling seems a little sweet, a grating of raw lemon zest over the plate brightens everything; if needed, adjust with a pinch of salt. Serve piping hot: as the nut-brown butter cools, it sets and the dish loses its grace.