Tortellini di Zuca - Tortelini of Butternut Squash

Butternut Squash Filling

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 to 6 cups cubed and peeled butternut squash (about 1 large)
• 1/2 cup ground amaretti cookies
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat and add the butternut squash. Cook until squash is becoming golden brown - about 10 minutes.

Add water to cover and cook until squash is tender, about 25 minutes.

Transfer squash to a food processor with a blade.

Add amaretti, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Blend until smooth.

Brown Butter 

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 5 fresh sage leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Grated Parmesan for serving

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook until it begins to foam and then brown, about 3 minutes.

Add sage, salt and pepper.

Pasta Dough

• 2 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• extra flour or corn meal for sprinkling

Place 2 cups of flour and salt on a floured board, make a wide well in the middle of it.

Place eggs and egg yolks in well.

With a fork, mix the eggs into the flour mixture. Follow perimeter of well, drawing in small amounts of flour and continuing all the way around, until gradually most of the flour is absorbed. If necessary because your dough is too sticky, add up to 1/2 cup of the remaining flour.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes

Divide the dough ball into 2 pieces.

Put each dough ball through a pasta machine, folding into half with each pass and then repeating 10 to 20 times, to knead it.

Continue with the pasta machine using narrower roller spacing with each  pass until pasta is paper-thin.

Lay out sheets of dough and cut them into 4-inch circles; you should have about 40 to 50 circles.

Place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling just off center of each circle. Fold over the filled portion, press down around filling forming a half moon.

Then take the 2 points of the half moon and fold them till the touch and press to seal.

Place the tortellini on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprinkled with extra flour.

Bring large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add salt to the boiling water.

Add tortellini and cook until they are tender, about 3 minutes.

Toss with brown butter and Parmesan and serve immediately.

chefedb,

I get 2 to 2 1/2 cups out of a 1lb butternut squash and can easily get a 2 to 3 lb squash.

They can give me 4 to 5 cups.

It also depends on how small you cube the squash.