TORTELLINI WITH DELICA PUMPKIN & SAGE IN BROTH

A traditional dish of the region is ‘Tortellini in Brodo’. Typically meat based, the filling is made from Parma ham and the tortellini float in a meat broth (apparently small enough to fit 21 on a spoon!). When I was in the region, I found out that the area along the river Po, which runs through Emilia-Romagna, is famed for its pumpkin growing - and equally for its pumpkin ravioli (of course every town’s is better than the next!). So for the lunch, ever so slightly pushing the boundaries of traditionalism, I will be making the ‘Tortelini in Brodo’, but substituting the meat base with Delica pumpkin. We will then balance the menu by introducing appetizers based around Parma ham, and serving the Paddock Farm Rare Breed Pork for the main.

What’s great about this recipe is that it uses the whole of the pumpkin, so there is no waste!

Enjoy cooking #lovefoodhatewaste.

For the tortelini:

250g Cooked & Finley Chopped Delica Pumpkin
6 Sage Leaves Chopped
1 Small Clove of Garlic Chopped
20ml Olive Oil

For the broth

All the Pumpkin Trim

200g Vegetable Scraps (you have kept throughout the week, though I would steer clear of turnip trim)
1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds
1 Bay Leaf
1 Sprig of Thyme
The Excess Pumpkin Juice
1.5 litre of Water
Seasoning

It is best to cook the pumpkin the day before and leave to hang in your fridge overnight. This allows for the pumpkin not to be too wet. Retain the excess liquid for your broth. Cut the pumpkin into quarters, removing the seeds and pulp from the middle. This will later form your broth. Season the pumpkin with olive oil, salt and pepper, then place into an oven proof dish with a lid. Bake on a low heat for approx. one hour.

Once cooked remove the flesh from the skins (keep the skins for your broth) and hang. The next day fry the sage leaves and garlic in the olive oil and add to your pumpkin, along with some seasoning. Your mix is now ready for making tortellini...

To make the broth simply place all the ingredients in a pan, bring to the boil and gently simmer for 25 minutes. Leave the broth to stand for an hour then pass through a fine sieve.

And now comes the difficult part, making the tortellini. So my recipe for this is as follows:

Look out for our next Petersham Nurseries Pasta Workshop on our website...

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Misco Tenuta di Tavignano 2021


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Tenuta di Tavignano

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