Lidia Bastianich notes that the traditional filling for pumpkin dumplings is simple. Instead of the traditional roasted Mantova squash, she uses nutmeg here and says it's a good substitute. She also uses crushed amaretti biscuits, breadcrumbs, eggs and grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano so the filling isn't too sweet. In the northern Italian city of Mantova, they add mostarda di Mantova, a chutney made from preserved local fruits in syrup. It is usually a combination of pears, apricots and cherries with the addition of mustard powder to add a zing. Here Bastianich substitutes golden raisins.
This recipe is reprinted from the 2025 book The Pasta Art of Lydia:
Pumpkin ravioli
Number of servings: 6
Makes 24-30 ravioli.
For the ravioli
1/2 small pumpkin (about 1 pound), cut lengthwise, seeds removed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
⅓ cup golden raisins, coarsely chopped if large
1/2 cup freshly grated Gran Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano
1/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 Fresh Pasta Recipe with Multiple Eggs (recipe below)
All-purpose flour for rolling
For the sauce
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 large fresh sage leaves
Kosher salt
1/2 cup freshly grated Gran Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano
Directions
1. To make the ravioli, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the pumpkin in a baking dish and drizzle the cut side with olive oil. Season with 1 teaspoon salt. Turn it over; Place cut side down in a baking dish and add 1 cup water. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the squash is completely tender when pierced with a knife, 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove it from the oven and let it cool.
2. Meanwhile, place the raisins in a small bowl and add hot water to cover. Let them sit for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry.
3. Once the pumpkin has cooled, transfer the pulp to a large bowl. Mash it well with a potato masher; you should have about 1 heaping cup. Add drained raisins, grated cheese, breadcrumbs, nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix well to form a homogeneous filling.
4. To prepare the ravioli, cut the dough into four pieces; work with one piece at a time and keep the rest covered with a damp kitchen towel. Flatten a piece of dough with the palm of your hand, then roll it through the pasta machine at its widest setting. Fold the dough into a letter shape to flatten it and roll out again, threading the wider end through first. Continue rolling it out, gradually narrowing the settings, always lightly sprinkling the dough, until you have a long strip as wide as your machine will allow and a little less thick[дюйма]. Repeat with the remaining dough. (If the strips are too long, cut them in half crosswise before continuing.)[inchthickRepeatwiththeremainingdough(Ifthestripsgettoolongtoworkwithcuttheminhalfcrosswisebeforeproceeding)[inchthickRepeatwiththeremainingdough(Ifthestripsgettoolongtoworkwithcuttheminhalfcrosswisebeforeproceeding)
5. Fill a small bowl with water. Place one strip of dough in front of you with the long side facing you. Place scoops of filling, 1 tablespoon at a time, at approximately 1 1/2-inch intervals along the bottom half of the dough strip. Using your finger or a pastry brush, brush water around the edges of the filling and fold the top of the dough strip over, covering all the mounds of filling. Press down on filling to seal and remove any air bubbles. Use a serrated pastry wheel (or a regular one if you don't have one) to cut between the mounds and roll a knife along the bottom of the strip to cut off any excess dough. Transfer the sliced ravioli to floured baking sheets and repeat with the remaining dough and filling. You should have approximately twenty-four to thirty ravioli. They are ready to cook but can also be frozen for later use. To freeze, place the baking sheets directly into the freezer. Once the ravioli are frozen, place them in resealable plastic bags for longer storage.
6. When you're ready to cook, bring a large pot of salted pasta water to a boil.
7. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter begins to melt, add the ravioli to the boiling water. Scatter the sage leaves into the melted butter and let them sizzle for a minute to infuse the butter with flavor. Add 1 cup pasta water and simmer while ravioli cooks. Cook the ravioli until al dente, 3 to 4 minutes, depending on how thick you roll them out. Carefully spoon them into the simmering sauce. Toss gently to coat the ravioli with sauce, adding a little more pasta water if the sauce seems dry. Add salt if necessary. Remove the pan from the heat. Sprinkle the ravioli with grated cheese, stir and serve immediately.
NOTE. The choice of pumpkin is very important. The local variety used in Mantua is large in size, bright orange in color, firm and compact flesh and high in sugar content. The peel is very thick, streaked with green, and looks swollen and split, like a peeled orange. Besides the nuts I use here, you can also try Hokkaido blue squash, kabocha squash, or Long Island cheese squash.
Fresh pasta with a few eggs (from the ravioli ingredients list above)
Pasta can be made with just flour and water, but eggs can be added to enrich the texture, color and flavor. In leaner times, only a few eggs were used. My grandmother used two whole eggs to make pasta for 10 people, whereas in Bologna – La Grassa (The Thick) – which is famous for making the tastiest and best egg pasta in Italy, it uses only egg yolks and flour. Of course, it is golden yellow, rich and delicious.
Makes about 1 pound
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons ice water, plus more as needed
Directions
1. To make the dough using a food processor, place the flour and salt in the bowl of the food processor and process for a few seconds to aerate the mixture. Whisk the eggs, olive oil, and water in a measuring cup with a spout until combined. With the food processor running, pour wet ingredients through the feed tube. Process for about 30 to 40 seconds until the dough forms and comes together on the blade. If the dough does not come together on the blade or is easily processed, it is too wet or too dry. Feel the dough, then add more flour or ice water in small quantities using a food processor or kneading by hand. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for a minute until it is smooth, soft and elastic (but not sticky).
2. To knead the dough by hand, combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the eggs, olive oil, and water in a measuring cup with a spout until combined. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the mixed wet ingredients. Stir with a fork until the dough comes together into rough clumps. Dust your hands with flour, squeeze and knead the dough directly in the bowl until a cohesive mass forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until it is smooth, soft and elastic (but not sticky), 3 to 6 minutes, depending on the strength and speed of kneading. As with food processor dough, add a little flour or water at the beginning of the kneading step if necessary.
3. Roll the dough into a disk, wrap it well in cling film and let it sit at room temperature for at least half an hour. (You can refrigerate the dough for up to one day, or freeze it for a month or more. Thaw in the refrigerator and return to room temperature before rolling out.)
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From The Art of Lydia's Pasta Cooking (copyright 2025 by Tutti a Tavola, LLC. Excerpted with permission from Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without written permission from the publisher.
