Pumpkin Tortelli with Sage Butter Sauce

Take a break from the turkey – without losing the seasonal savories – with Susie Regis’ pumpkin tortelli recipe. The inside of the gourd makes a seasonal stuffing, combined with ricotta cheese and chopped sage, while the seeds do double-duty as a garnish and in the sauce. Regis has all the instructions, from the pasta dough to the brown butter sage sauce to the pumpkin brittle topping, for an autumnal afternoon in the kitchen.

Ingredients

For the tortelli dough:
  • 1/2 cup semolina
  • 1/2 cup durum flour
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
For the pumpkin filling:
  • 1 cup pumpkin meat
  • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped sage
  • 1 egg
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
For the sauce:
  • 2 tablespoons whole butter
  • 3 sage leaves
  • 1 teaspoon toasted pumpkin seeds
  • 1 lemon
For the brittle:
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 teaspoons honey
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons Karo corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
  • 3 teaspoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
For the garnish: 
  • Parmesan cheese
  • pumpkin seed oil

Directions

For the tortelli dough and pumpkin filling:
  1. Mix together the dough ingredients and wrap for 30 minutes in a towel.
  2. While the dough rests, combine the pumpkin filling ingredients and blend in a food processor until smooth.
  3. Roll and cut the dough into roughly two-inch squares. Scoop the pumpkin filling onto the squares and fold the dough over to form the tortelli.
For the sauce:
  1. In a small pan, melt the butter, then add the sage and pumpkin seeds. Toast until the seeds are golden brown and the sage is crispy. Remove from heat and squeeze in lemon juice to taste. Set aside and keep warm.
For the brittle:
  1. In a small pot, mix together the sugar, honey, water and corn syrup and boil until amber in color, about five minutes.
  2. Take the amber sugar off the burner and stir in the pumpkin seeds, butter and baking powder. Pour the mixture onto a buttered sheet tray and let cool completely.
To serve:
  1. Cook the tortelli in boiling water until they float to the top. Strain and toss with Parmesan cheese.
  2. Spoon the brown butter sage sauce over the pasta. Break the hardened brittle into small pieces and place randomly. Drizzle the dish with pumpkin seed oil.

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