Butternut Squash Cappellacci with Brown Butter and Nutmeg

We are incredibly lucky.

We are going to Rome with the husband's parents, who have rented an apartment off of Campo de' Fiori. We're over the moon, and we have not really been able to wrap our minds around the fact that at this time next week we will be fully jet-lagged in Rome.  There will be much ambling along cobble-stoned streets, much gaping at ruins, and much consuming of gelato.  People, we're headed to Italy.

When I was young, I wanted to go to Italy desperately.  It came after watching the overdone and saccharine 1962 movie The Light in the Piazza, one boring Saturday afternoon.  While this movie sparked a love affair with vespas, fountains, and piazzas for my ten-year-old self, I do not necessarily recommend it.  When it came time to choose my foreign language of study, I was heartbroken and surprised that Italian was not offered in my small town school district.  Undeterred, I grabbed a clip board and marched up to the Spanish and French teachers to interview them about which language was closer to my beloved Italian; somehow the French teacher was more convincing, and I enrolled in French I that fall.  I realize now that Spanish is probably closer to Italian.

Still determined to learn Italian, I have been practicing in the car on the way to and from work with a rather charismatic Italian CD.  I have learned such phrases as No, non vorrei bere qualcosa con lei. Sono sposata.  Assolutamente no.  Anche non vorrei mangiare con lei. Non adesso. Non più tardi.*  This string of refusals is said boldly in my car as I drive through the Caldecot tunnel.  Apparently, I am ready to face persistent Italian men who apparently would really like to buy me a drink or dinner.  Is it problematic that my Italian CD plays into stereotypes?  Or is the CD just preparing me for the inevitable? Or is it problematic that I look like a lunatic in my car, gesticulating to the dashboard, adamantly declaring that I will not eat with it?

*No,  I do not want to drink something with you.  I am married.  Absolutely not.  Also I do not want to eat something with you.  Not now.  Not later.

However, I have also learned other helpful phrases such as  No.  Non bevo oggi.**  This one I like.  I can imagine this said the morning after too rough of a weekend.  But this one is my favorite:  Non sono mai a bere di nuovo.***  Oh my.  I feel that my Italian learning CD has a very particular plan for me in Rome that may or may not include the husband and will certainly involve a good deal of regret.

**I am not drinking today.
***I am never drinking again.

In the mean time, the husband and I decided some Italian fare was in order.  While this recipe is from Ferrara rather than Rome, it certainly has been readying us for this Italian adventure.  I once wrote for a quick moment about Ferrara here about a year ago.  Allow another indulgence here.  The last time we were in Ferrara, we stayed with a mentor of the husband in a little apartment just off the square.  He directed us to the Castello Estense and proceeded to tell us the history of the tower, which I cannot verify its accuracy.  Apparently originally there was only one tower.  However, the citizens of Ferrara got a little ticked at the Este family due to some pesky taxation, and they literally tore apart one of the family members.  To protect themselves from further dismemberment, the Este family commissioned additional fortresses as part of the castle, which the husband and I wandered around.  With that to whet our appetites, the husband and I ate at a nearby outdoor cafe, where I had my first bite of cappellacci with butter and sage.  Hoo-wee.  People, I am telling you that you need to try this recipe, which comes pretty darned close to what I had for lunch that June day almost eight and a half years ago.

In this recipe, I used pumpkin and kabocha squash, because that's what my CSA sent me, rather than butternut squash.  However, you can use any sweet, fleshy winter squash (read:  pumpkin, butternut, acorn, kabocha, etc).  We did not make our own pasta (something I have discussed here) because we have access to great pre-made pasta sheets, and I am not going to make my own pasta (which often comes out like hockey pucks) when I can simply purchase some down the street.

Do bake or buy the amaretti cookies.  While a little tricky to find and time consuming to bake, they are the secret ingredient in the filling.

Finally.  I will  say this just once.  Brown. Butter. And. Sage.  The Ferraran gift to pasta.  Thank you, Ferrara.

One Year Ago: Parsnip Galette with Greens

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Butternut Squash Cappellacci with Brown Butter and Nutmeg
Adapted from  Simply Tuscan

Yield:
6 Servings

Ingredients:  
5 pounds butternut squash (I used Kabocha and pumpkin)

2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups finely crumbled amaretti cookies

Grated zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons bread crumbs

salt and pepper
1 to 1 1/2 pounds fresh sheet pasta

8 tablespoons butter

15 leaves fresh sage

8 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Peel the squash, cut it in half, and remove the seeds.  Cut the squash into 2-inch chunks, place on a baking sheet, and cover with foil.  Bake for 1 hour or until the chunks are tender and dry.  Let the squash cool, transfer to a food processor, and puree until smooth.  Then squeeze out all of the excess water by placing the puree in the center of a clean kitchen towel, picking up the corners, and twisting them together over the sink.  Combine the drained squash with the 2 cups Parmesan cheese, amaretti cookies, lemon zest, egg yolks, breadcrumbs, nutmeg and salt and pepper. 

2.  To assemble, cut the pasta sheet unto 3-inch squares.  Make an egg wash by mixing the egg yolk with half an eggshell full of water.  Brush the pasta squares with the egg wash.  Place 2 teaspoons of the filling onto each square.  Fold the squares into triangles by bringing two opposite corners together.  Seal the triangles by pressing down on the edges with your fingers.  Put your index finger at the center of the folded edge of the triangle.  Fold the corners down around the index finger with your other hand, pinching them together between thumb and index finger. (See photos below.  It's actually really simple.)

3.  Cook the cappellacci in plenty of boiling salted water until they float.  Drain carefully by lifting the cappellacci out of the water with a slotted spoon or skimmer--do not pour them into a colander, or they will fall apart.

4.  To make the sauce, in a small pan over low heat, melt the butter.  Add the sage, and let it cook until the butter is golden brown, about 2 minutes, and the sage is crispy.

5.  Arrange the cappellacci on warm plates, sprinkle with the grated Parmesan, and drizzle the butter and sage over them.