

Flashback.
It’s Friday and I took a day off from work. I’m home, alone, and I feel in complete
freedom. There’s a pleasant atmosphere
in the house that I’ve strived for throughout the busy weeks that have gone
by. The moment is all mine and there’s
nothing else I want to do than be in my kitchen. I’m in the mood to cook something good that
requires some time, the time I usually don’t have. The tranquil moment makes it all possible and
here I am with a pumpkin in my hands.
Flour and eggs are on the counter and I’m already kneading before I can
even realize it. A pot of water and
potatoes are on the stove and an indecent amount of butter is taken out of the
fridge. All the ingredients slowly come
together with one that complements the other.
Fast forward.

Fast forward.
It's Tuesday today. I’m at work and it’s time for lunch. There’s nothing else I want more than these potato and pumpkin tortelli with butter and sage. The ones I made that Friday in a tranquil moment of solitude in my kitchen.

Potato and Pumpkin Tortelli with Butter and Sage
For the filling
The amount of each ingredient depends on the portions. I used a quarter of a medium sized pumpkin and 4 medium size starchy potatoes, which was enough for three portions of pasta. Remove the hard skin from the pumpkin and reduce in cubes. Toss the pumpkin cubes in a bowl with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and some salt. Place the cubes on a tray and bake in a prepheated oven at 200°C for 15 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. Remove from the oven and mash the pumpkin with a fork. Put aside.
Meanwhile, rinse 4 medium sized potatoes under cold water and with the skin still on, place them in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Once the potatoes are tender, check with the tip of a knife, and remove them from the pot. Remove the skin from the potatoes and mash with a fork or potato masher. Put aside.
Put the mashed potatoes and pumpkin in a bowl. Add some salt, freshly ground nutmeg, freshly ground tumeric and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Taste and adjust if necessary. If fresh tumeric is not available use the dried powder version or do not use at all.
For the pasta
Prepare the fresh egg pasta. See how to make pasta through the pretty video below.
The ration for pasta is 100gr : 1 egg. For 3 people, you'll need 300gr flour and 3 eggs. Once the dough is ready, let it rest covered under a kitchen towel or bowl for 30 minutes.

Potato and Pumpkin Tortelli with Butter and Sage
For the filling
The amount of each ingredient depends on the portions. I used a quarter of a medium sized pumpkin and 4 medium size starchy potatoes, which was enough for three portions of pasta. Remove the hard skin from the pumpkin and reduce in cubes. Toss the pumpkin cubes in a bowl with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and some salt. Place the cubes on a tray and bake in a prepheated oven at 200°C for 15 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. Remove from the oven and mash the pumpkin with a fork. Put aside.
Meanwhile, rinse 4 medium sized potatoes under cold water and with the skin still on, place them in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Once the potatoes are tender, check with the tip of a knife, and remove them from the pot. Remove the skin from the potatoes and mash with a fork or potato masher. Put aside.
Put the mashed potatoes and pumpkin in a bowl. Add some salt, freshly ground nutmeg, freshly ground tumeric and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Taste and adjust if necessary. If fresh tumeric is not available use the dried powder version or do not use at all.
For the pasta
Prepare the fresh egg pasta. See how to make pasta through the pretty video below.
The ration for pasta is 100gr : 1 egg. For 3 people, you'll need 300gr flour and 3 eggs. Once the dough is ready, let it rest covered under a kitchen towel or bowl for 30 minutes.
The Making of fresh Pasta from Nicola JC Valletti on Vimeo.
To assemble
Roll out the pasta with a pasta machine. Place small balls of the filling on the sheet of pasta with a distance of 1 cm between each other. Dip you fingertips in a bowl of cold water and wet the surface of the pasta sheet right around the filling, so that the pasta sheets can adhere nicely when you shape out the tortelli. Place another sheet of pasta over to cover the filling.
Press against the pasta sheets with for fingers, so that they stick to each other.
Remove any the air that may form between the two sheets. Now, shape the tortelli with a round pasta cutter. Bring a pot of cold water to a boil, add some salt and gently place the tortelli in the pot. Remove when they float on the surface and place in a large pan where you have previously melted some butter with sage. I used 100gr of butter. Gently swirl the tortelli in the pan so that they are evenly coated with butter, if necessary add some of the pasta's cooking water. Serve hot with butter and sage and a generous amount of freshly grated parmesan cheese.