Tortelloni Di Zucca
Submitted by WEE
Handmade tortelloni stuffed with acorn squash, escarole, ham, and ricotta, finished in a buttery pecorino-tomato cream sauce. An Italian masterclass worth every minute.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
30 minREADY
45 minThis is the kind of pasta you make when you want to really cook. Not heat something up, not throw a weeknight meal together, but actually spend time in the kitchen and come out the other side with something extraordinary.
The filling is a layered thing of beauty: sweet acorn squash cooked down with butter until dry and concentrated, mixed with wilted escarole, chopped ham, ricotta, Parmesan, and a grating of nutmeg.
Homemade egg dough gets rolled thin enough to see your fingers through, cut into rounds, filled, and shaped by hand into plump little bundles.
Then the sauce: butter, cream, pecorino, and just enough tomato to blush the whole thing pink. It coats each tortelloni in a glossy, savory cloak that makes the squash filling sing.
Pro Tips
- Cook the squash filling until it’s truly dry. Any residual moisture will make the tortelloni soggy and harder to seal.
- Roll the pasta dough as thin as you can manage. Thick pasta overwhelms the delicate filling.
- Seal the edges firmly and check for air pockets. Trapped air causes tortelloni to burst during boiling.
- Use pecorino in the sauce, not Parmesan. Pecorino’s sharper, saltier bite is what makes this sauce distinctive.
- The tortelloni are done one minute after they float to the surface. Don’t overcook them.
Ingredients
Directions
For Pasta:
In a mixer with a dough hook, or a processor, combine the flour, eggs and oil, adding water as needed to form a soft ball.
Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes.
Cover with a damp cloth and set aside for 30 minutes.
For Filling:
Halve the squash and remove all of its seeds and strings.
Cut the squash up into large wedges and cook, covered, in boiling salted water until tender, about 12 minutes.
Drain completely and cool briefly.
Scoop out the flesh.
(You should have about 2 cups.)
Place the escarole in a saucepan with about 1 cup of water; cover.
Steam the escarole, tossing once or twice, just until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes.
Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water, squeeze dry and chop coarsely.
Set aside.
Melt 1½ tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add squash and cook, stirring, until dry, about 5 minutes, breaking up the flesh coarsely as it cooks.
Add Parmesan cheese and parsley, lower heat to medium and stir for 3 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in the escarole, ham, ricotta and egg.
Season with black pepper, nutmeg and a little salt, if desired.
Set aside.
To Assemble:
Cut the dough into 3 pieces.
Roll each piece with a heavy rolling pin on a lightly floured board (or use a pasta machine) until it’s ⅛ inch thick.
(You should be able to see your fingers through the dough.)
Use a 4-inch cutter to cut out rounds of dough; place them on a lightly floured baking sheet.
Place about 1½ teaspoons squash filling on lower half of each round, leaving a border.
Fold top half of each round over filling and press edges together to seal.
Warp edges of each half-circle around your index finger, bringing ends together to overlap by about ¼ inch.
Pinch edges to seal.
For Sauce:
Melt ¼ cup of butter in a heavy saucepan.
Add cream and a generous amount of white pepper, whisking over medium-high heat.
Stir in the pecorino cheese (in a pinch, you could probably get away with Parmesan, but it won’t taste the same) and tomato sauce.
Boil gently 3 to 4 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook tortelloni in a large pot of boiling salted water until they float to the surface, then boil 1 minute longer; drain.
Place the tortelloni in heated serving bowls, nap with sauce and serve immediately, with additional Parmesan and white pepper.
Comments