Pumpkin Lune with Butter and Sage

By Laurniesaurus

The Babbo Cookbook, © 2002 by Mario Batali - "Traditional to Mantova, these 'lune' (little moons) often have crused amaretti cookies inside the filling. We like to grate and oversized cookie over the top in addition to the cheese."

Ingredients

• Personal edit:
• 1 small pumpkin, or butternut or acorn squash (about 1 lb.)
• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 8 oz. Fresh Egg Pasta
• 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 8 fresh sage leaves
• 1 large amaretti cookie
• Omit balsamic vinegar
• Add ~1/2 c. Hazelnut Paste
• Add ~1/2 c. brown sugar, to taste
• Amaretti cookie optional

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2. Cut the squash in half, remove the seeds, drizzle with the olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the squash is very soft. Remove from the oven, let cool, then scoop the flesh from the skin.

3. In a large bowl, combine the cooled squash, cheese, nutmeg, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.

4. Roll out the pasta dough to the thinnest setting on a pasta machine. Using a biscuit cutter or water glass, cut out 2-inch circles. Pipe or carefully spoon a rounded tablespoon of filling onto the center of half of the rounds and cover the filling with a second pasta round. Press the edges together firmly to seal.

5. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Drop the lune in the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a 12- to 14-inch sauté pan until it foams and subsides. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to the butter and whisk to emulsify. Drain the pasta and add it to the butter. Add the sage leaves and toss gently for 1 minute over medium heat to coat the pasta with sauce. Divide the lune among four warmed plates, grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano and amaretti, if desired, over each plate and serve immediately.