One of the more rewarding things in life is making your own pasta. I see how it may seem like a daunting task, but trust me, it’s not difficult, just a little time consuming.
I’ve been making fresh pasta since I was little. This isn’t bragging, it’s a testament as to how easy it really is. I would literally watch Molto Mario, (shoutout to Mario Batali, you’re awesome dude!) and then tell my parents, “no worries. I got dinner tonight.” Which would be proceeded by my dad assisting me the entire time and my mother having to clean up the endless mess I created behind me. Yes, I’m fully aware I had incredibly nurturing and patient parents. But seriously, it looks like you’re a kitchen wizard when you make you’re own pasta, and you don’t even need to disclose how dead easy it was to make!
My only words of wisdom for superior homemade fresh pasta: keep the water to a minimum.
I wholeheartedly recommend doing the classic volcano method of making pasta. You know, flour in a pile, eggs in the middle. It’s a ‘come-to-jesus’ moment, I guess maybe only if you like to cook, but it’s an experience to have at least once in your life. Beyond that, just do the whole shebang in a food processor. No processor? Do it in a bowl. It’s easier than scraping dried egg and flour paste off your counter top, at least in my opinion. Just do whatever you want. As long as you make the pasta.
My only words of wisdom for superior homemade fresh pasta: keep the water to a minimum.
Once you have the fresh pasta made, you can use just about anything to make a filling, but here I decided to highlight kobucha squash, one of the more flavorful winter squashes of the season. But you can always substitute pumpkin or butternut squash in here. Or just use some ricotta and parm. It’ll taste good regardless.
Kabocha Tortelloni
with sage, brown butter and hazelnuts
For the pasta
This recipe with the filling made about 3 dozen tortelloni
- 200g flour
- 2 eggs
- 1-2 tblspn water
- pinch of salt
For the Filling
- 1/4 kabocha squash
- 1 small shallot
- 2 tblspn part
- 1c ricotta
- citrus zest, lemon or orange, I used tsatuma here
Garnish
- sage leaves
- hazelnuts
- butter
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Food Processor or potato masher or excellent smashing skills
First thing to do is get the squash roasted. I used about 1/4 of the kobucha squash and roasted it for 45mins at 375 F. I wanted a little bit of color and for the squash to dry out slightly with the long roasting time.
While the squash roasts you can make your pasta dough. Add flour, egg and salt into the processor and blend until it’s a pebbly mess or it forms a ball. If it seems a bit dry, add in a tablespoon of water and blend again. Repeat if needed. You don’t want a wet dough, you want it to just come together when you squeeze a small bit in your palms. Dump the dough out on a floured countertop and knead for 5-10mins until it’s smooth and slightly springs back when you poke it. Wrap in some plastic and set in the fridge to rest while you finish the filling.
After letting the squash cool slightly, sauté a small finely diced shallot in some oil or butter until translucent. In a food processor, blend the shallot and squash ‘til it’s a smooth, thick paste. Then add in the parmesan and ricotta cheese, pulse a few times and check for seasoning. You can also use a potato masher, or just smash everything together in a bowl with a fork. Set this aside.
Roll out your pasta into sheets. I use a pasta machine, I love it, but you can always roll it out with a rolling pin, or a wine bottle. You want it to be about a millimeter in thickness. Cut the dough into 3” squares, roughly. Add a small spoonful of filling, wet the edges, fold in half and then pinch the far corners together. Ta da! Tortelloni! Now just repeat that till you have no dough left. And make sure to place your finished tortelloni on a floured surface, you don’t want them sticking.
I then toasted a handful of chopped hazelnuts in a dry pan. Browned a good bit of butter in another pan and dropped the sage leaves in there while I was browning it so they fried and got a little crispy. Make sure all your garnish is good to go before you boil your pasta. I cooked mine in salted, gently boiling water for about 30 seconds. Once they float, give em about 10 more seconds and they should be done. Don’t overcook them! I quickly tossed them in the butter and then plated everything up. I added some extra parmesan on top, maybe add some fresh pepper if you like and eat up!
