Pumpkin Cappellacci. Gold from Ferrara

Cappellacci are a traditional specialty from Ferrara, filled with a sweet and savory pumpkin mixture that's full of surprises. I like to refine the pasta dough with a touch of saffron-it's a feast for the eyes and the palate.

Cappellacci Variations

Traditionally, pumpkin cappellacci aren't made with saffron pasta dough. Instead, the filling is "sweetened" with crumbled Amaretti cookies and mostarda-a fruit preserve with a punchy mustard kick. The first recorded mention of pumpkin-filled pasta in the region dates back to 1584, when the court chef of the noble Este family in Ferrara, Giovan Battista Rossetti, described "pumpkin tortelli with butter" in his cookbook. Back then, pepper and even ginger were added to the filling-a brilliant contrast to the pumpkin's natural sweetness. Give it a try!

Eat Local: Noble Extravagance in the 16th Century

Pumpkin tortelli weren't part of the Este family's everyday meals. They were reserved for grand banquets, even though pumpkin was considered peasant food at the time. But the d'Este family went against the grain. They embraced local ingredients, perhaps choosing pumpkin for its golden glow-a symbol of wealth and power. Whether the high-ranking guests were impressed by this visual metaphor is something Rossetti's notes don't reveal.

The Bandits in Hats

According to legend, it was around 1870 when a local policeman gave cappellacci their distinctive shape. At the time, a notorious gang of bandits was terrorizing the Ferrara region, always managing to slip through the authorities' grasp. Their trademark? A ragged, floppy hat (cappellaccio) was worn by each outlaw. One day, as the story goes, an officer was helping make tortelli but got lost in thoughts of his pursuit-, shaping little bandit hats from the dough instead of the usual pasta form.

📖 Recipe

Cappellacci with pumpkin and saffron - Ferrara style

Cappellacci are a speciality from Ferrara, which are sure to surprise you with their sweet and spicy pumpkin filling

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course, main dish

Cuisine Emilia-Romagna, Italian

Servings 6 serves

Calories 466 kcal

Ingredients

 

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Pasta dough

• 230 g flour 00
• 70 g durum, wheat flour
• 3 eggs
• 0.2 g saffron, powder

Filling

• 1 pumpkin, - Hokkaido - approx. 700 g
• 300 g grana cheese, alternatively, Parmesan
• salt
• nutmeg
• black pepper, from the mill

Also

• sufficient butter
• 5 leaves sage
• grana cheese, alternatively, Parmesan

Instructions

 

• First the dough for the cappellacci is prepared: heap the flour onto your work surface and form a hollow in the middle. Break the eggs into a small bowl. Add the saffron and whisk well with a fork. Place the eggs in the hollow and mix them with the flour from the inside out. Then knead the dough well for about 15 minutes, form it into a smooth ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Now let it rest for 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180° C (upper and lower heat). Wash, divide and core the pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin with the skin into even slices. They should not be too thick, so that the pumpkin is quickly cooked through, but thick enough so that the slices can stand on the skin. Line a tray with baking paper. Cover the paper with cooking salt. Place the pumpkin slices on the paper with the skin facing down. Depending on the thickness of the slices, bake for 20-30 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
• Let the pumpkin cool down. Remove the pumpkin flesh from the skin if it has remained too firm. Or remove the salt from the shell with a brush and mash the pumpkin flesh together with the shell with a fork. Season the filling with salt, nutmeg and pepper. Mix in the cheese well. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest until needed.
• Roll out the pasta dough thinly. For this purpose, you can use either a rolling pin or a pasta machine. Cut squares of approx. 6 cm side length from the dough. Circles also work wonderfully. Put some filling in the middle of each, fold the dough in half, placing diagonally opposite sides together to form a triangle and press the edges around the filling. If the dough is too dry, moisten the edges with some water. Now join two tips of the triangle and press them together: and now you have your bandit hat!
• Bring salt water to the boil. Let the cappellacci simmer for 3-4 minutes. Strain and toss in plenty of sage butter. Serve with grated Grana cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

Nutrition

Calories: 466 kcalCarbohydrates: 54 gProtein: 28 gFat: 16 gSaturated Fat: 9 gCholesterol: 116 mgSodium: 836 mgPotassium: 938 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 7 gVitamin A: 19805 IUVitamin C: 20 mgCalcium: 662 mgIron: 5 mg

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Tipp: Bake Pumpkin on Salt

Baking pumpkin on a bed of salt is an age-old trick-and it works wonders. It guarantees the perfect consistency for the filling, which should never be watery. Roast the pumpkin until the salt begins to brown slightly; that means the pumpkin has released most of its moisture-the result: tender, rich flesh ready for your pasta. Don't toss the salt! Just discard the patches soaked with pumpkin juice-the rest can be reused.

Buon appetito!