Butternut Squash Tortellini with Butter Sage Sauce

By cookism

There is something about butternut squash that captivates us, from its bell-shaped curves to its appearance in Plants vs. Zombies. This recipe pays homage to this divine winter squash—a show-stopping assemblage of handmade tortellinis stuffed with cheese and butternut purée, doused with a nutty brown butter sage sauce and topped off with toasty pine nuts and parmesan blankets. This dish is also good for a Halloween party where substance matters as much as style. So get those hands floured and start folding. Your next indulgence is just a tortellini away!

Ingredients

• For the pasta dough:
• 300 g ‘00’ flour, plus more for dusting
• 100 g semolina flour
• 4 eggs
• For the filling:
• 900 g butternut squash
• 3 garlic cloves
• Salt & black pepper, to taste
• 3 to 4 tbsp olive oil
• 60 g amaretti biscuits, crushed
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more to serve
• For brown butter sage sauce (per serving):
• 20 g butter
• 4 sage leaves
• 1 tbsp pine nuts
• Pinch of black pepper

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Cut butternut squash into half and remove the seeds. Alternatively, you can peel and cut it into cubes. Do not discard the seeds. Reserve them to make some really tasty roasted pumpkin seeds! Place butternut squash on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Season with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Drizzle 2 tbsp of olive oil over it.
2. Place garlic cloves on a sheet of aluminium foil. Season with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Fold into a parcel and roast together with the butternut squash and garlic for 30 minutes until soft. If the butternut squash needs more time to cook, remove garlic parcel from the oven first and leave it aside to cool.
3. While the butternut squash is roasting, make the pasta dough. Mix ‘00’ flour and semolina together and tip them onto a working surface. Form a well in the middle and crack in the eggs. Using a fork, beat the eggs and gradually incorporate the flour from the sides of the well. When a lumpy dough starts to form, it’s time to get your hands working.
4. Knead the dough by pulling the dough away from you and rolling it back. Repeat until the flour is absorbed into the dough. Next, using the press-fold-turn action, knead the dough till elastic and smooth. Form the dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Leave it to rest for 30 minutes.
5. When the butternut squash is ready, scoop the flesh out and mash it further with a fork. Upwrap garlic parcel and remove the skin. The roasted garlic should be soft and slightly browned. Lightly mash it as well.
6. Combine and mix butternut squash mash, roasted garlic, ricotta cheese, crushed amaretti biscuits, grated nutmeg, Dijion mustard, grated Parmigiano Reggiano, a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.
7. Divide rested dough into 4 sections with a scraper and keep 3 sections covered with a plastic wrap. Flatten 1 section with your fingers and roll the dough through the pasta machine by starting with the widest setting. Fold the dough into half and run the dough through the machine a few more times. Subsequently, click a setting down and run the dough through till you reach your desired thickness. Flouring the pasta sheet periodically will prevent them from getting too sticky and hence easier to handle. The dough thickness for this recipe is No. 7 on our Ampia 150. Lay the pasta sheet on a dusted workspace and cut out circles with an 8cm cutter.
8. Place 1 tsp of the filling on the middle of each disc. We used two ways to fold our tortellini. The first way is to fold the pasta disc into half, sealing the sides with a little water as you do so. Wet the back of the right edge and bring it inwards, meeting the other side. Another method is to begin with the above steps, but this time combining the two edges around your index fingers, forming a ‘ring’. Play around and have fun deciding which method you prefer!
9. To cook the tortellini, season water with salt (every litre of water with 1 tsp of salt) and add them into a good simmer. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the pasta dough is cooked. Transfer the tortellini onto a warm plate.
10. Finally, make a quick brown butter sage sauce. Add butter, pine nuts, sage leaves and a pinch of black pepper in a pan over medium heat. Cook till butter is brown and bubbling, sage leaves are crisp and pine nuts are golden. Drizzle sauce over tortellini and garnish with Parmigiano Reggiano shavings. Ready to dig in!

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