In my last post I had promised you a recipe to use up some of that beautiful Mostarda Mantovana that I showed you how to make. Well… here I am to keep my promise. Today’s recipe is yet another recipe from Mantova, in Lombardy and it is an honour for me to showcase it on Manu’s Menu. It is a very ancient recipe (it was originally invented in the 1500’s!) and one of the most traditional dishes of the area. In fact, it is so famous that everyone in Italy knows Tortelli di Zucca. This is not your everyday stuffed pasta. The filling is quite unusual and more on the sweet side rather than the savoury side. To the already sweet pumpkin, you add amaretti cookies (yes, sweet cookies!) and Mostarda Mantovana which is spicy, but also sugary. All this sweetness is well balanced by the saltiness of the Parmigiano Reggiano and the spiciness of Mostarda, so the dish works out wonderfully. I made these for the family and they were devoured. Even my little ones liked this dish and did not complain about “eating their veggies”. This is a good example of traditional Italian food and one that shows how linked to the territory Italian cuisine is. It was born as a poor man’s dish, using local produce (and has no meat, as that was an expensive item!) and is now one of the dishes that make Mantova proud. As proud as I am today to be able to show you how to make it in your own kitchen. Enjoy and check out my collection of Regional Italian dishes here.
Tortelli di Zucca – Pumpkin Tortelli
How to make Tortelli di Zucca - a 16th century pasta recipe from the Italian town of Mantova.
Ingredients
Filling
- 800 gms – 1 ¾ lbs. pumpkin weighed after being peeled
- 100 gms – 3.5 oz. amaretti cookies powdered
- 2 tbsp Mostarda Mantovana finely chopped
- 100 gms – 3.5 oz. Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- Breadcrumbs
- Salt to taste
Tortelli
- 300 gms – 10.5 oz flour
- 3 eggs
Sauce
- 80 gms – 5 ½ tbsp butter
- 6 sage leaves
- Salt and Pepper
- Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated
Instructions
Filling
-
Cut the pumpkin and bake it in a preheated oven at 140°C – 285°F for 40 to 50 minutes, or until soft. Let it cool down.
-
Cut out the skin (you can also bake the pumpkin without the skin) and put the pumpkin in a bowl.
-
Add the powdered amaretti, mostarda, Parmigiano Reggiano, nutmeg and enough breadcrumbs to make a firm and workable filling.
Tortelli
-
Make the tortelli following my tutorial on How to make Ravioli or Tortelli.
-
Sauce
Assembling
-
Cook the tortelli following the steps on “How to cook pasta al dente”. Only in this case you will not have a pre set cooking time. This will vary on the thickness of your pasta (it should take approximately a couple of minutes to cook if you have just made the pasta. If a number of hours have passed since you made the pasta then it would be slightly dry and could take between 10 to 12 minutes to cook). So, the best solution is to taste it! Remember, to check the joint, where your pasta is thicker. It does have to remain firm to be al dente.
-
When the pasta is cooked, drain it and put it in the pan with the butter and sage sauce. Mix well on low fire for a minute.
-
Serve hot with some thinly grated Parmigiano Reggiano on the top.
Esta é minha comida italiana preferida, pois dispensa molhos pesados, carnes, etc. Os vegetarianos deveriam observar com mais atenção a cozinha italiana, pois é rica em pratos sem a presença de carnes.
I remember having these—or something very much like them—in Ferrara. They were incredible! It’s hard to reproduce the flavor here in the States, as pumpkins just don’t have the same intense flavor as the Italian zucche. Not sure why…
This just jumps off the page. I wish I had a bowl of it right now!!
This, as you may have seen last week on my IG, is one of my favorite things ever. I adore tortelli di zucca. They look delicious!
I am growing seed for the Zucca Beretta Mantovana this year, and I am very excited to make this dish with it. If the yield is large enough we will start selling the seeds certified organic as well. Thanks for the recipe!
It’s not true that everyone in Italy knows about this recipe! It’s typical from the Mantova area thus northern like risotto. It’s easy yes but it requires also a special taste for pumpkin, growing up very few ppl from the Mantova area were making this delicate dish !