Have I mentioned how much I am loving my Imperia? The other day I used it to make fettuccine for Red Roasted Pepper Pesto and today I used it to roll out pasta dough to make tortelloni. Tortelloni are slightly larger tortellini and when you are making several dozen of them you are always grateful to be making the larger version instead of the smaller ones. One only has so much time to fill and shape pasta!
The filling is made with Roasted Butternut Squash. It's a very simple recipe. You halve the squash, sprinkle it with some salt and pepper and roast it until it's tender. Then, you combine it with a butter/sage/cream reduction and some eggs in a food processor and that's pretty much it! Chilling it overnight helps to firm it up so it is easier to work with the next day.
Each square is given a daub of filling before getting a swipe of an egg wash for 'glue.' Then, you press the edges together, being careful not to squish out any filling.
Two of the corners are then wrapped around your finger like a ring and then pressed together. They look like little pope hats. Brushing off excess flour is probably a good idea as well.
The tortelloni are tossed in pot of simmering water and cooked for only a few minutes. Fresh pasta cooks really fast....I post Tristyn or Maia at the door to watch for Rick. When they see him pull up they give a shout and in goes the pasta!
While the tortelloni are cooking, in a pan butter is heated rapidly. I tossed in some sage leaves and some fresh ground sea salt and pepper. The tortelloni are removed from the pot and placed in the butter and gently stirred until coated. Crushed amaretti and fresh grated Parmesan are sprinkled over the top before serving.
This dish is particularly interesting in that sweet and savory are blending together in a delicate way that teases the palate rather than overwhelms it. Finally, finally, finally I have a delicous way to use up the butternut squash when they appear in my CSA box this year!
