Easy Italian Recipes

 MAKES 6 servings

For the filling
- 1 sugar pie pumpkin or butternut squash, about 11/2 lb (750 9)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 cup (1 oz/30 g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 Ib fresh egg pasta dough
For the sauce
- 1/2 cup (4 oz/125 g) unsalted butter
- About 10 small fresh sage leaves

Aromatic, velvety gray-green sage is a perennial that grows in profusion ali over Italy. In Roman times, it was prized for both its medicina! properties and as a flavoring. Today, its chief use is culinary, inciuding in such traditional recipes as chicken livers sautéed in butter and veal saltimbocca. Here, it infuses melted butter, to create a common northern Italian preparation for saucing stuffed pastas, in this case tortelli, a classic Lombardian ravioli.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400°F (200°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment (baking) paper.
Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Peel the pumpkin halves and cut the flesh into chunks. Place on the prepared baking sheet, and bake until very soft when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 25 minutes. Let cool to the touch, then put into a food processor. Process the pumpkin unti! smooth. Add the egg yolk and cheese and pulse to blend. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg and pulse to combine. Set aside.
Make the pasta dough, then divide and roll out each piece into a sheet 1/16 inch (2 mm). Lightly flour a rimmed baking sheet. Trim each pasta sheet into long strips that will fit on the baking sheet. Layer the strips flat on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them so they don't touch and separating each layer with a lightly floured kitchen towel.
To make the tortelli, piace one pasta strip on a floured work surface. Use a 2-inch (5-cm) round pastry cutter to make pasta circles. Place 1 teaspoon filling in the center of half the circles. Lightly brush a little water around the filling, top with the remaining circles, and press the edges to seal. Place in a single layer on a lightly floured rimmed baking sheet, separating each layer with a lightly floured kitchen towel. Keep the top layer covered as you prepare the tortelli. Repeat with the remaining strips. They will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 hours before cooking.
To make the sauce, in a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Cook, swirling the pan, unti! the butter foams and begins to brown. Add the sage and cook until the leaves crisp slightly and the butter turns nut brown, about 3 minutes. Be careful not to burn the butter. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot three-fourths full of water to a rolling boil. Add about 2 tablespoons salt, and then add the tortelli and stir gently. Cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat so the water simmers gently, unti) the tortelli rise to the surface and are al dente, 3-4 minutes.
Return the frying pan with the sauce to low heat. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer the tortelli to the sauce and toss gently to coat. Divide among warmed plates and serve at once.

Buon appetito !