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Tortei

July 30, 2021

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This homemade Italian inspired tortei (com recheio de abobora) recipe is absolutely delicious and perfect for the fall. I won’t lie, it’s a bit complex to make because we are making a homemade pasta dough first but it is definitely worth it. Tortei stuffed with pumpkin is one of those meals you make when you want to impress at the family gathering. I simplified this recipe as much as I could by using canned pumpkin puree instead of the traditional way which is to cook Kabocha until tender and mash it. You can certainly make it the traditional way but I just couldn’t find any Kabocha because it is not yet in season. Serve your homemade tortei with this Red Wine Pasta Sauce (with meat) and prepare to be amazed. And if you’re really in the spirit of fall, try making this Edible Pumpkin Cookie Dough for dessert.

Tortei com recheio de abóbora receita

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An Explanation Of The Ingredients

  • Pumpkin Puree – Make your own if you can find kabocha at the grocery store or use canned pumpkin puree which will work just as well.
  • Parmesan Cheese – Use freshly grated parmesan cheese.
  • Salt – Add salt to taste.
  • Nutmeg – A pinch of nutmeg in the pumpkin puree will give it great flavor.
  • Garlic Cloves – Finely mince the garlic cloves.
  • Flour – Mix the flour with the other ingredients to make the homemade pasta dough.
  • Eggs – Combine the eggs with the flour.
  • Water – Room temperature water works well.
The ingredients needed to make tortei are pumpkin puree, parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt, garlic, flour, water and eggs.

Combine the eggs, flour, salt and water and knead until you form a ball of dough.

This is how you make dough for homemade pasta.

Combine the ingredients for the pumpkin filling.

Combine all of these ingredients to make the pumpkin filling.

After the dough has finished resting, roll it out.

This is the way you roll the dough out after it has rested for 30 minutes.

This is about how thick the dough should be.

Roll the dough until it is about 1/2 of an inch thick as shown in the picture.

Spread the pumpkin filling over the dough just like this.

Spread the pumpkin filling over the homemade pasta dough just like this.

Roll the tortei (com receheio de abobora) as shown below.

This is how you roll each tortei.

Prepare the dish cloth into the shape of a triangle.

Fold the dish towel into the shape of a triangle.

Roll the tortei into the dish towel.

This is how you roll the tortei into the dish towel.

Finish rolling the homemade pasta dough into the dish towel.

Continue rolling the homemade pasta dough into the dish towel.

Securely tie the ends of the dish towel so it does not open up during the cooking process.

Securely tie the ends of the dish cloth into a knot as shown in the picture so that it does not open up during the cooking process.

Cook the tortei covered in boiling water.

Cook the tortei in boiling water as shown in the photo.

Unfold the homemade pasta from the dish cloth and cut into pieces for serving.

Cut each homemade pasta tortei into pieces for serving.

How To Make Tortei

  1. First, start by whisking the eggs together.
  2. In a bowl, combine the eggs, flour, salt and water. Use your hands to knead the dough until it no longer sticks to the bowl.
  3. Form a round ball of dough and leave it in the bowl covered with a cloth to rest for 30 minutes.
  4. In the meantime, finely mince the garlic cloves.
  5. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, minced garlic, salt, nutmeg and parmesan cheese.
  6. Prepare a clean surface on your countertop and spread flour over it so that when you’re rolling out the dough it does not stick. Add more flour throughout the process as needed.
  7. Use a dough rolling pin to roll the dough out to about 1/2 of an inch thick.
  8. After the dough is completely rolled out, cut it into two equal parts otherwise it won’t fit into the dish towels to cook.
  9. Add water to a very large pot and bring to a boil.
  10. Spread the pumpkin mixture over the dough.
  11. Begin rolling the dough lengthwise from the longest side. Almost as if you are rolling a cinnamon roll or a roulade. As you’re rolling the pasta dough, make sure to pull out the ends as needed so they don’t end up too thick.
  12. Prepare the dish towel by folding it into the shape of a triangle.
  13. Place the tortei at the bottom of that triangle shaped dish cloth and begin rolling it into the cloth by pulling the top piece of the cloth over the tortei and wrapping it around the pasta dough tightly.
  14. Once the tortei has been rolled into the dish cloth, tie the ends securely. Repeat the same process with the 2nd piece of dough.
  15. Slowly add both of the rolled up pieces of tortei to the boiling water. Cover and cook for 2-2.5 hours.
  16. Remove the tortei from the boiling water and transfer to a cutting board.
  17. Use tongs to remove the tortei from the cloth, then cut into 2-3 inch pieces.
  18. Finally, serve with Red Wine Pasta Sauce (with meat), fresh parsley and parmesan cheese and enjoy.
Receita de tortei feita em casa.

What Is Tortei?

Tortei is simply homemade pasta stuffed with pumpkin puree. In Brazil, we call it tortei com recheio de abobora. Although it is traditionally an Italian dish, many Brazilians have incorporated it into their cuisine. A very close friend of the family made this dish for us to try when she was visiting and she explained that it is an old recipe that her Italian grandmother taught her to make when she was growing up in Brazil as a kid. Some parts of Brazil do have a wide spread Italian history so it is common for those recipes to get passed down from generations.

Making This Recipe With Kabocha

If you were lucky enough to find kabocha at the grocery store, lucky you! Simply start by cutting the kabocha into smaller pieces and cooking it in boiling water until fork tender. Spoon out all of the pumpkin from the skin and mash it in a bowl. Follow the rest of the recipe instructions to prepare the dish.

How Will I Know When It’s Ready?

The cooking time provided in this recipe is perfect. It should only take 2 hours for the tortei to be fully cooked. If you have cut thicker pieces, you may leave it cooking for an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour.

What Kind Of Dish Cloth Should I Use?

I recommend using a white dish cloth like this flour sack kitchen towel. Don’t use anything with color or a fuzzy surface.

Homemade pasta recipe stuffed with a pumpkin filling.

Recipe Notes

  • It’s important to use the right dish towel to make this recipe. I recommend these flour sack kitchen towels.
  • Use tongs when you’re unwrapping the tortei from the dish cloth so you don’t burn yourself.
  • You can roll the dough out thicker than 1/2 of an inch. This will all come down to preference. Just remember that the thicker the pasta is, the longer it will take to cook.
  • The tortei should be fully cooked after 2 hours. However, if you cut thicker pieces you may need to cook it for an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour longer.
  • The pot you’re using should be big enough to submerge both of the torteis and boil them without the water running over the top.

tortei de abobora

Tortei

This homemade tortei is stuffed with a pumpkin filling and is the perfect comforting fall dish to enjoy. Pasta is made from scratch then stuffed with a pumpkin filling before being boiled and served with red wine pasta sauce. This is definitely a restaurant quality meal you can have right at home.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin
Keyword: tortei, tortei com recheio de abobora, pumpkin tortei, homemade pasta
Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 369kcal

Equipment

  • dish towels
  • dough rolling pin

Ingredients

  • 6 cups flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tbsp salt divide between the dough and pumpkin or add more to taste
  • 2 cups water room temperature
  • 30 oz pumpkin puree or 1 large kabocha
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp nutmeg or according to taste

Instructions

  • First, start by whisking the eggs together.
  • In a bowl, combine the eggs, flour, salt and water. Use your hands to knead the dough until it no longer sticks to the bowl.
  • Form a round ball of dough and leave it in the bowl covered with a cloth to rest for 30 minutes.
  • In the meantime, finely mince the garlic cloves.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, minced garlic, salt, nutmeg and parmesan cheese.
  • Prepare a clean surface on your countertop and spread flour over it so that when you’re rolling out the dough it does not stick. Add more flour throughout the process as needed.
  • Use a dough rolling pin to roll the dough out to about 1/2 of an inch thick.
  • After the dough is completely rolled out, cut it into two equal parts otherwise it won’t fit into the dish towels to cook.
  • Add water to a very large pot and bring to a boil.
  • Spread the pumpkin mixture over the dough.
  • Begin rolling the dough lengthwise from the longest side. Almost as if you are rolling a cinnamon roll or a roulade. As you’re rolling the pasta dough, make sure to pull out the ends as needed so they don’t end up too thick.
  • Prepare the dish towel by folding it into the shape of a triangle.
  • Place the tortei at the bottom of that triangle shaped dish cloth and begin rolling it into the cloth by pulling the top piece of the cloth over the tortei and wrapping it around the pasta dough tightly.
  • Once the tortei has been rolled into the dish cloth, tie the ends securely. Repeat the same process with the 2nd piece of dough.
  • Slowly add both of the rolled up pieces of tortei to the boiling water. Cover and cook for 2-2.5 hours.
  • Remove the tortei from the boiling water using cooking tongs and transfer to a cutting board.
  • Use cooking tongs to remove the tortei from the cloth, then cut into 2-3 inch pieces.
  • Finally, serve with Red Wine Pasta Sauce (with meat), fresh parsley and parmesan cheese and enjoy.

Notes

  • It’s important to use the right dish towel to make this recipe. I recommend these flour sack kitchen towels.
  • Use tongs when you’re unwrapping the tortei from the dish cloth so you don’t burn yourself.
  • You can roll the dough out thicker than 1/2 of an inch. This will all come down to preference. Just remember that the thicker the pasta is, the longer it will take to cook.
  • The tortei should be fully cooked after 2 hours. However, if you cut thicker pieces you may need to cook it for an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour longer.
  • The pot you’re using should be big enough to submerge both of the torteis and boil them without the water running over the top.

Nutrition

Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 891mg | Potassium: 294mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 13410IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 166mg | Iron: 5mg

Related

Filed Under: Entree

Previous Post: « Pumpkin Spice Coquito
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lori

    August 2, 2021 at 11:17 pm

    5 stars
    AmaZing- so delicious!

    • The Six Figure Dish

      August 3, 2021 at 8:58 am

      Thank you so much Lori! Glad you enjoyed!

  2. Luciana Costa

    August 18, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    5 stars
    I tried this recipe with chicken sauce instead and it was divine!! Really recommend it to anyone who loves pumpkin!

    • The Six Figure Dish

      August 18, 2021 at 7:40 pm

      Hi Luciana, so glad you enjoyed!

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