Tortelli di Zucca alla Mantovana

Ingredients

• For the filling
• 1.2 kg marina di Chioggia or butternut squash, unpeeled, halved, seeds removed
• 80 g amaretti secchi, dry crisp type (Saronno tradition), finely crushed
• 80 g mostarda di mele (Mantova or Cremona), finely chopped
• 80 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
• ¼ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
• 30 g fine dry breadcrumbs, held in reserve; add only if filling is too wet to hold its shape
• For the pasta
• 300 g 00 flour
• 3 eggs, large, at room temperature
• For the sauce
• 120 g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 60 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
• 8 fresh sage leaves, optional
• 1 tsp fine salt, for the pasta dough

Method

1. 1
   Heat the oven to 180°C. Place the squash halves cut-side down on a parchment-lined tray. Roast for 1 to 1.5 hours until the flesh is deeply caramelised and the skin blisters and collapses. The flesh must be completely tender and visibly dry at the edges — this is not done until all surface moisture has cooked off.
2. 2
   Scoop the flesh away from the skin and transfer it to a sieve set over a bowl. Leave to drain for at least 30 minutes, pressing occasionally with a spoon. This is where the dish lives or dies: any residual moisture in the filling will make the sealed pasta burst during cooking and render the wrapper sodden beyond rescue.
3. 3
   Mash the drained flesh to a smooth paste. Fold in the crushed amaretti, chopped mostarda di mele, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and nutmeg. The filling must hold a clean shape when dropped from a spoon; if it slumps or spreads, work in the reserved breadcrumbs a little at a time until it firms. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. 4
   Make the sfoglia: mound the flour on a board, make a well, add the eggs and salt, and beat with a fork, drawing in flour gradually from the walls. Knead by hand for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Wrap and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. The dough is ready when it springs back slowly but completely when pressed.
5. 5
   Roll the dough through a pasta machine to the second-thinnest setting, or by hand to approximately 1 mm. Cut into squares or rectangles of roughly 8–10 cm. Place a heaped teaspoon of filling at the centre of each. Fold and seal into half-moons, rectangles, or the traditional hat shape, pressing firmly around the filling to expel all air. The seal must feel tight and show no trapped pockets — air expands in boiling water and will split even a well-sealed edge.
6. 6
   Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a gentle simmer — not a rolling boil, which batters the tortelli. Lower the tortelli in batches and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. They are ready when the pasta at the sealed edge yields to light finger pressure but offers a faint resistance at its thickest fold.
7. 7
   While the tortelli cook, melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat with the sage leaves if using. The butter must foam white and fragrant — remove it from the heat the moment the foam threatens to subside toward golden. Browned butter would introduce its own flavour and compete with the filling.
8. 8
   Lift the tortelli from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer directly to the pan of foaming butter. Turn them once, gently. Divide among warmed plates, spoon over any butter remaining in the pan, and finish with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve immediately.