The richness of my life humbles me into thankfulness year round. Right now, for example, I am thankful that I get to write my first Thanksgiving blog entry. On Thursday I will be even more thankful to choose between pumpkin and amaretti tortelli OR risotto with squash, sage and taleggio. Maybe I even get to eat them both, and that will make me thankful the most.

Tortelli di zucca e amarettiPumpkin and amaretti ravioli

for 8 peopleDough 5 eggs 1 generous pound flour salt

Filling 1 medium size squash or pumpkin with dense flesh and nutty flavor (butternut, kabocha, sugar pie, cinderella all work) 4 or 5 amaretti mostarda di frutta (see notes) grated zest of 1/2 an orange 1 egg 2 to 3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste

Dressing 1/2 stick of butter 1 handful grated Parmigiano Reggiano 1 amaretto 1 pinch grated orange zest

Salt the flour and mound it in a well on a wooden board. Make a well in the center and add the eggs. Using a fork, start working the eggs gradually incorporating the flour while keeping the well from falling and the eggs from running.

When the dough and flour become too dense to work with a fork, bring the dough together by pressing it with your hands.

When you have a somewhat shaggy ball of dough, start kneading by stretching the dough, folding and pressing it into itself. Continue kneading until the dough is somewhat smooth and elastic and quickly snaps back into place when pulled. It will take about 15 minutes.

You can also use a mixer with a hook attachment, just place the ingredients and mix on medium until everything comes together nicely and the dough looks homogeneous and elastic.

Wrap tightly and let the dough relax for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

Cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds, sprinkle with salt and place in the oven to roast cut side up. Roast until it can be easily pierced with a knife. Scoop the flesh out into a bowl, mash and let cool.

Crumble the amaretti. Take a small piece of fruit out of the mostarda and mince finely. Combine the pumpkin, amaretti, mostarda, egg and parmigiano. Season with nutmeg salt and pepper to taste.

Roll the pasta into strips, they must be very thin, so that you are able to see the outline of your hand through them. Line small mounds of filling just above the center line of each pasta strip, 1” apart from each other.

Dip a pastry brush in water or egg wash. Brush in between each mound of filling and above the whole row.

Fold the strip of pasta in half and seal along the top where you brushed with water. Starting from one end and moving toward the other, seal in between the filling, paying mind to pushing out excess air.

With a fluted pastry wheel cut along the top edge, leaving a half inch margin of pasta, then cut in between each little ball of filling to obtain square ravioli.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper and dust it with flour. Arrange the ravioli on it so that they do not overlap. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

To cook, drop the tortelli in boiling salted water. When they float to the surface, give them 3 to 4 minutes.

In the meantime, melt the butter, crumble the amaretti and mix it with the parmigiano and zest.

Douse about half the butter on the bottom of a warm platter. Drain the tortelli with a slotted spoon and arrange them on the platter. Douse them with the remaining butter and dust the dressed parmigiano all over them.

Serve immediately.

NOTES:

Mostarda di frutta is candied fruit in a mustard sauce. It is a condiment typical of some Northeastern areas of Italy, typically served along side salumi, boiled meats and aged cheeses. It has a spicy and sweet character, reminding of a chutney. This is a good one for this recipe and Formaggio Kitchen happens to be one of my favorite online places for difficult-to-purvey ingredients for my Italian pantry

Risotto alla zucca con taleggio e salvia al profumo di arancioSquash risotto with taleggio and sage with hint of orange

for 6 people 1 small acorn squash 6 to 8 sage leaves 1/4 pound taleggio cheese (see note) 2 quarts stock (chicken or vegetable) 3 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons minced onion grated zest of 1/2 an orange 7 handfuls of risotto rice splash of dry white wine 1 small handful of grated parmigiano salt and pepper to taste

Split the squash in half. Place one half on a sheet pan cut side up and sprinkle with salt. Roast until it can be easily pierced with a fork. Scoop out the flesh and puree it.

In the meantime, peel and dice small the remaining half of the squash. Stack the sage leaves and cut them in very thin ribbons. Dice the taleggio. Bring the stock to a boil and keep hot.

Soften the onion in the butter with the grated zest with half the sage. Add the diced squash and braise for about 5 minutes. Add the risotto and toast it.

Deglaze it with the wine. Stir in the squash pure and some stock.

Stir continuously while adding stock until the risotto is ready, generally 20 minutes from when the rice first touches heat, adjust salt and pepper as you move along the cooking process.

When ready, remove from the heat and quickly stir in the cheeses. Garnish with the remaining sage and serve immediately.

NOTES:

Taleggio is a delicious creamy cheese from Lombardia which is fairly easy to find in any well stocked cheese counter
If you are in San Francisco, Rainbow Grocery carries a good farmhouse one, or a less expensive one can be found at Lucca Ravioli on Valencia at 22nd. Any Whole Foods is likely to carry it

Tortelli di Zucca ~ Pumpkin Ravioli

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