Pumpkin Tortelli

Start this recipe a day in advance, to give the pumpkin time to drain. The tortelli can be made up to a month ahead: place them on a tray and freeze, then transfer to a freezer bag and keep frozen until needed.

Preparation time :	1.5 hours, plus overnight draining and chilling
Cooking time :	1 hour
Total time :	2 hours 30 minutes, plus overnight draining and chilling

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Filling
2kg pumpkin, unpeeled, seeded and cut into wedges
100g parmesan, grated
2 tbsp crushed Amaretti biscuits

Pasta
400g 00 flour (Italian pasta flour)
½ tsp salt
5 large eggs
2 tbsp olive oil

Sage butter
200ml vegetable stock
100g unsalted butter
12 sage leaves

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Arrange the pumpkin wedges in a roasting tin and sprinkle with salt. Cover with foil and roast for 50 minutes, or until tender. Cool, then scrape the flesh from the skin. Put the flesh in a fine sieve and leave to drain overnight over a bowl in a cool place.
2. For the pasta dough, mix the flour and salt together and tip into a food processor. In a separate bowl, beat 4 eggs with the oil. With the motor running, pour enough of the egg mixture into the flour to make a smooth dough. Remove and knead for 5–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 1 hour or overnight.
3. Meanwhile, put the pumpkin flesh in a clean food processor and blend until smooth. Add the Parmesan and Amaretti biscuits and season. Pulse until combined.
4. Cut the pasta into 4 pieces and roll out thinly – to 2mm if possible. Alternatively, put it through a pasta machine twice to reach this thickness. Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut into 10cm-wide strips. Place single teaspoonfuls of filling down one side of each strip, at 2cm intervals. Beat the remaining egg and brush it between the spoonfuls, then fold the long side over the filling. Press down to seal between the mounds. Cut into 3cm-square parcels.
5. For the sage butter, put the stock and butter in a pan; bring to the boil, whisking vigorously. Add the sage leaves and season. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Add the tortelli and cook for 2 minutes (or 4 minutes if cooking from frozen). Drain and serve, drizzled with the sage butter.

Drinks recommendation

The Corker recommends: the pumpkin flesh in these tortelli suggests a soft style red wine.