Mantova, Lombardia
The Mantovano approach to pumpkin is distinctive: the squat, orange-fleshed Marina di Chioggia pumpkin is roasted until the sugar concentrates, then puréed and combined with egg, Parmigiano, and a hint of amaretti biscuit — a subtle touch borrowed from the Mantovano tortellini di zucca filling tradition. Poured into buttered moulds and baked in a bain-marie until set, turned out and served warm with Mostarda di Cremona. The amaretti and pumpkin sweetness against the fiery mustard of the mostarda is one of the most characterful flavour combinations in Lombard cooking.
Sweet, dense pumpkin with a whisper of amaretti biscuit, baked to a silky custard and cut through by the fire of candied fruit mostarda — the Mantovano sweet-hot-savory harmony in a single mould
{"Marina di Chioggia or Delica pumpkin — dense, dry flesh; watery pumpkins produce a wet, sloppy sformato","Roast pumpkin in a low oven (150°C) for 1.5 hours to concentrate the sugar before pureeing","Crushed amaretti biscuits: 20g per 500g pumpkin purée — too much overwhelms","Bain-marie at 160°C for 35–40 min until a skewer comes out clean; rest 10 min before turning out","Mostarda di Cremona: serve 2 pieces alongside — the heat builds slowly after the initial sweet"}
{"A small amount of mascarpone folded into the purée adds silkiness without losing the clean pumpkin character","The sformato can be made ahead and refrigerated; reheat gently in the bain-marie before serving","The mostarda di Cremona can be supplemented with a walnut-raisin version for a deeper flavour pairing"}
{"Watery pumpkin — steaming instead of roasting adds moisture that the sformato cannot handle","Too much amaretti — the dish should be recognisable as pumpkin, not almond","Not resting before turning out — the sformato is fragile hot; it needs to set before unmoulding"}
La Cucina Mantovana — Gino Brunetti