Pumpkin is the vegetable most symbolic of autumn, and in particular of Halloween. Beloved especially in North America, where it appears on the Thanksgiving dining table in the form of a pie with the inevitable turkey, it is now very common in Italy too. Pumpkin ravioli with amaretti and mostarda is now one of the traditional dishes of the northern regions of Italy. Pumpkin is also excellent for gracing your Christmas dining table: not just in ravioli, but also in pies, risottos, desserts and so on and so forth. Pumpkin, with its irresistible sweetness, is a really versatile vegetable, perfect for enlivening various recipes which are particularly popular amongst children. Pumpkin ravioli require a bit of work but provide a great deal of satisfaction: they are therefore ideal for a special day of celebration, or even a simple family Sunday lunch. Here’s the recipe! 

Peel the pumpkin and remove the seeds, then cut it into small pieces and soften them with a little water and hot oil in a saucepan. When they are cooked so as to be just tender, crush them with a pestle to make a puree. Also crumble the amaretti biscuits with the pestle and add to the pumpkin. Add the ‘mostarda’ and grated Parmesan, then nutmeg. Finally add some salt to taste. Make the dough for the homemade pasta and then pull it through a pasta maker to form long lasagne sheets. Flour a work surface and lay out your sheets of pasta. Now place a teaspoon of the filling, or just a bit less, in the centre of the dough every 2cm, then, with a second sheet of dough, cover the first and with your fingers seal all round the fillings so as to remove any air and avoid entry of water. With a pastry cutter or equivalent, cut out the ravioli shape that you prefer (I used a circular shape), sprinkle with flour and set aside on a large, floured dish. Cook for 5 minutes in boiling salted water and while you melt the butter in a pan along with the sage leaves. When they are cooked serve about 8 per person and drizzle with melted butter and sage and some nice grated parmesan.