FOOD STORY
Cappellacci di zucca
Last spring we got a course from our friend Francesca, who comes from Emilia-Romagna in Italy where they make this spesific dish. She grew up with her Nonna who was a master at making Cappellacci.
The word cappellacci means hats, and Cappellacci di Zucca is pumpkin-stuffed pasta from the province of Ferrara, the Emilia-Romagna region, north of Italy. In this area, people are known as pumpkin-eaters. The pasta is shaped like hats and served in a butter and parmesan sauce with sage.
We got a course from Francesca, who comes from this area of Italy, and who grew up with her Nonna who was a master at making Cappellacci.
Homemade pasta tastes absolutely amazing! Maybe also because there is a lot of work and love in it. We made this an early summer evening at the cabin in the mountain. To give a little extra taste and colour to it, we picked some fresh nettle outside the cabin and mixed into the pasta dough.
Watching the sun go down behind the mountain tops while digging into this fresh homemade pasta, with a good glass of red wine and the best friends… That’s life.
“Don’t eat anything that you great-great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.”
Michael Pollan
RECIPE
Cappellacci di zucca - Ravioli stuffed with pumpkin
DOUGH
4 eggs
400 gram extra fine flour, tipo 00
FILL
400 gr pumpkin
1 large egg
4 tablespoons parmesan cheese
0.5 tsp white pepper
0.5 tsp grated nutmeg
0.5 dl bread crumbs
SAUCE
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
fresh sage leaves
Bake the pumpkin at 180 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Cool before removing all the meat with a spoon and set aside. When completely cooled, mix in the rest of the ingredients.
Then try to make the dough by hand as we did. Make a hole in the middle of the mountain with flour and pour into the eggs. Work with the eggs and flour until well blended into a smooth dough. Let it rest in a cool place for approx. 30 min. Roll out to a thin dough or use the thinnest setting on a pasta machine. Then cut out square shapes, about 8 × 8 cm. Place a teaspoon of the pumpkin filling in the center of the dough and fold over the middle to a triangle. Grab each end and tie them together, use some water if it is difficult to get it to stick.
Boil a large saucepan of salt water, and put in the cappella acciputas. They are ready when they reach the water surface. Pour the cooked pasta onto a plate and pour hot sauce over. Grate extra parmesan and garnish with sage on each plate.
BUON APPETITO!
