Chef Juan Cabrera
North Block, Yountville
Squash is harvested in late summer and fall, an autumnal crop Chef Juan Cabrera awaits eagerly. He can make magic with butternut, spaghetti and acorn squash alike, but it’s the arrival of tender delicato squash in the kitchens at Yountville’s North Block Hotel that makes his heart flutter. “Using delicato squash during its peak in fall speaks to our commitment of letting the season lead, as it was meant by Mother Nature,” Cabrera says. The chef gets painterly, dreaming of plates: “Let’s put a beautiful whole roasted striped bass with a crispy charred skin with a drizzle of lemon juice! Now! Let’s add to the equation roasted sliced delicato squash with fleur de sel and a bit of spicy from the piment d’espelette!” he says, riffing. “You truly use all your senses as you bite into the crispy skin, to smell the lemon juice, the umami taste of the squash, the pleasant visual… ingredients all showing off in harmony.” Cabrera likes delicato in its simplest form: cut into half-moons and tossed with spices before roasting. But he also makes a delicato purée for his tortellacci, blending pumpkin with the squash and fresh seasonings. “Delicato squash is naturally sweet,” he says. “Whether roasted in a wood oven or using it puréed for a pasta feeling, we let the ingredient tell the story.”
“Using delicato squash during its peak in fall speaks to our commitment of letting the season lead, as it was meant by Mother Nature.”
Tortellacci Alla Mantovana
Ingredients
FOR THE SQUASH FILLING:
- 1 small sugar pumpkin or other edible pumpkin variety (about 1½ pounds)
- 1 small delicata squash (about 1 pound)
- 3½ tablespoons spicy mustard seed oil
- Freshly grated nutmeg, piment d’espelette and turmeric for sprinkling
- ½ cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving
- 3 tablespoons Pear Mustard from Mantova or other Italian mostarda, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons amaretti crumbs
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
FOR THE TORTELLACCI:
- About 1 pound fresh pasta sheets
- Small bowl of water for brushing
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 –12 fresh sage leaves
- Freshly cracked pepper
Instructions
TO MAKE THE FILLING:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cut the pumpkin into quarters and delicata squash in half and remove the seeds.
- Place cut side up on a baking sheet. Drizzle evenly with the oil and sprinkle with nutmeg, piment d’espelette and turmeric. Bake, turning once, until tender and slightly caramelized at the edges, 25–30 minutes. Let cool, then scoop the flesh into a bowl.
- In a bowl, combine 1½ cups of the squash flesh (reserve the remaining squash for another use), pear mustard, amaretti crumbs and Dijon mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir until combined. Set aside.
TO MAKE THE TORTELLACCI:
- Work with 1 pasta sheet at a time; keep the remaining sheets covered with a kitchen towel to prevent drying. Roll out to 1 mm thickness. Cut into 4-inch squares or rounds. Place 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of each square or round. Fold into a triangle (if square) or a half-moon (if round). Using a pastry brush, moisten the edges with water, then press to seal. Bring the corners of the tortellacci together to form a hat shape. Set aside on a well-floured baking sheet until all tortellacci are shaped.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a hard simmer over medium heat.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and cook briefly until crisp, 1–2 minutes; using a slotted spoon, transfer the leaves to a plate and set aside. Continue to cook the butter, swirling occasionally, until golden and nutty in aroma, 2–3 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.
- Add the tortellacci to the simmering water and cook until tender and they float to the top, 2–3 minutes. Return the brown butter to low heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer half of the tortellacci to the brown butter, adding about ½ cup of the pasta water. Toss gently to coat the pasta with the browned butter. Using the slotted spoon, divide the tortellacci among 2 or 3 shallow serving bowls. Add the remaining half of the tortellacci to the remaining browned butter mixture and toss to mix. Divide among the remaining 2 or 3 serving bowls, pouring any remaining butter evenly over each serving. Sprinkle with the crisped sage, Parmesan cheese and cracked pepper to taste, then serve. Makes about 24 tortellacci. Serves 4–6.
