Home-made Ricotta-Pumpkin Torteloni

Tortelloni

• 3/4 lbs home-made ricotta (or high-quality whole milk ricotta)
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (canned is OK)
• 1/3 cup grated parmegiano
• 1/2 tsp yellow mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• Salt & pepper
• 1 lbs wonton wrappers (or 1 lbs pasta dough, rolled out to #5 thickness)
• Cup of egg wash (1 beaten egg, 1/2 cup water) with brush

Sauce

• 1 stick (8 tbs) butter
• 12-18 fresh sage leaves
• 4-6 cloves of garlic, sliced
• More salt & pepper

First, make the ricotta.  Done?  Good.

Second, mix together the filling ingredients.  Then, put on a CD of lively music which lasts at least an hour and prepare to make the tortelloni.

Take a wonton wrapper (doubled if the wrappers are very thin, like mine were).   Put a little filling in the center.

Paint the edges with egg wash and fold it in half into a triangle. Press the edges together firmly, making sure they're fully sealed.

Bring the two acute points of the triangle together in a loop, creasing the filling to make it bend.  Press the points together to join them.

Repeat 3 to 4 dozen times.

Set a very large, wide kettle of water with a handful of salt on to boil.  Heat a large steep-sided pan (12" to 14"), preferably steel or enamel, and put in the stick of butter.  When it melts, add the sage and garlic.  Over medium, heat, slowly brown the butter, stirring it occasionally.

When the butter is almost brown, drop the tortelloni carefully into the boiling water.  Bring it back to a simmer but not to a roiling boil.  Cook the tortelloni for 4-6 minutes

Using a slotted spoon, lift the tortelloni carefully out of the pot, and put them in the browned butter.  Stir them around the butter to coat them on all sides, carefully so you don't break them.  Add a little pasta water if they need more liquid, and a little salt to taste.

Serve 3-4 per diner as a first course, or 6-8 as a main course.  If serving a small group, leftover uncooked tortelloni freeze pretty well.

Inspired by a traditional recipe from Friuli as published in Food Festivals of Italy.