Tortelli di zucca, pumpkin ravioli, is a traditional dish, This is homemade Italian pasta which was much heavier on the egg yolk, and the filling felt richer and softer too.
filling pumpkin ravioli tortelli di zucca
ravioli/tortelli from this area are made with amaretti cookies crushed into the filling mixture. If you’ve never had them, these are very dry almond cookies, that can be a little bit of an acquired taste on their own, but they are great for cooking with as they add a lovely flavor and act as a bit of a sponge. They also have another ingredient called mostarda, which is kind of like a fruit chutney. I’m pretty sure at some point I’m going to give this kind a try, but not just now.
TORTELLI DI ZUCCA IN PARMA, EMILIA-ROMAGNA
This is the version I think I had in both Parma itself and nearby Modena. It has a much simpler filling, primarily pumpkin, along with parmesan, egg and optionally a little breadcrumbs to help the texture be a little firmer and a touch of nutmeg for flavor.
FOR THE PASTA DOUGH:-
To make the pasta, put the eggs and salt in a food processor and pulse until broken up and mixed. Add approximately half the flour and the olive oil then pulse a few times to combine. Add the rest of the flour and pulse a few more times to mix and until the dough comes together, away from the sides into a ball, or at least into large crumbs.
Remove the dough to a floured surface and knead with floured hands for a couple minutes. It should be slightly soft but not sticky. Note it will be firmer than a typical pasta dough.
Wrap in plastic/cling film and allow to rest at room temperature for around 30min. At this stage, you can keep the dough in the fridge for a day or two until ready to use.
