Halloween isn’t an Italian tradition, but it’s become popular within the last few years. A friend said to me “ non mi piace Halloween, ma amo le lanterne fatte con le zucche” (“I don’t like Halloween, but I love the pumpkin lanterns”).  At this time of year zucche are in abundance, so here is a recipe from Northern Italy for you to try if you have some pumpkin to use up, and plenty of time on your hands.

Tortelli di zucca (pasta stuffed with pumpkin). The quantity given serves 4-6 people.

Preparazione del ripieno = Preparation of the filling:

Cut the pumpkin in slices 2-3 cm thick, place them on a backing tray and bake them in hot oven at 200 °C (400 °F) for about thirty minutes, or until the pumpkin is well cooked and starting to caramelize. Remove it from the oven and leave it to cool down. In the meantime crumble the amaretti biscuits. In a mixing bowl mash the pumpkin, then add the Parmesan cheese, amaretti biscuits, egg, nutmeg and seasoning, and mix well using a wooden spoon. Leave it aside to rest.

Preparazione della pasta = Preparation of the pasta:

Sift the flour into a mound on a clean work surface. Make a well in the centre, and add all the other ingredients except for the egg white. Using a fork, gently beat the eggs together, then gradually work in the flour to form a soft dough. Then knead well for at least 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into four equal pieces, and using a rolling pin or the pasta machine roll out the pasta to very thin sheets, about 1 mm thick.

Preparazione dei tortelli = Preparation of the tortelli:

With the aid of a serrated ravioli cutter, cut the pasta sheet into rounds or squares. If you don’t have a ravioli cutter you can just use a sharp knife, they will still taste good, even if the look won’t be professional! Brush the edges of a pasta square (or circle) with the beaten egg white, put a teaspoon of filling in the centre, cover it with another square, and press down carefully around the edges with your fingers. Continue in this way until all the filling is used up.

Cook the tortelli in a big saucepan full of salted boiling water for 5-7 minutes. Drain them and serve hot, dressed with a ragout sauce or with melted butter flavoured with sage. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Buon Appetito!