Making these little bundles of joy is always so satisfying and eating them is even more so - for those of you looking for a project to fill your time, this is a great one. Like with my recipe for agnolotti, a pasta sheeter will make rolling out the dough easier, however doing it the old fashioned way with a rolling pin works too, just make sure to roll it very thin and with plenty of flour.

cappellacci with a Roasted Sweet Potato Filling

Serves 4-5

1 tsp olive oil

2 sweet potatoes

1 small cooking onion (or 2 shallots), thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp chili flakes

salt & pepper

2 tbsp milk (cow’s milk or any unsweetened and plain alternative milk will work) or 35% cream for a richer filling

1 tsp lemon juice

1 batch pasta dough (like this recipe)

1/4 cup butter (or olive oil)

1 + 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

parmesan cheese to serve

Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Pierce sweet potatoes several times around the outside with a fork then drizzle them with oil, season with salt and pepper and bake until tender (when pierced with a knife there is very little resistance) about 60-70 minutes.

Meanwhile, make your pasta dough - allow it to rest, covered, while you make the filling.

Once potatoes are done and cool enough to handle, remove the skins.

Heat oil in a large sauce pan. Once hot, add in onion and a sprinkle of salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent, then add in garlic and chilli flakes and season again. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, then add potatoes, using a wooden spoon to break them up. Stir to combine everything as well as possible then remove from heat.

Using a blender, blend mixture along with milk/cream and lemon juice until completely smooth. Adjust seasoning as necessary, then transfer to a piping bag or large ziplock bag and allow to cool.

Once filling is cool, flour your counter and roll out dough to the thinnest setting using your pasta machine (or by hand to about 1/32 inch thick). Use a knife or pasta cutter to cut squares of dough about 2 inches wide, then pipe a quarter sized amount of filling into the centre of each square, lightly brush the edges with water and fold in half. Use your finger tips to press out any air, then pinch the bottom corner edges of the triangle and fold them together (see pictures below).

As you work, arrange finished cappellacci on a baking tray lined with parchment/a silicone matt and plenty of semolina flour to prevent sticking. They can stay like this in the fridge for 2-3 days.

When ready to serve, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Gently add in the cappellacci and cook for 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile heat butter, balsamic a good pinch of salt in a large saucepan. Transfer cooked cappellacci directly into the saucepan using a slotted spoon. Spoon in 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water as well, and swirl the pan to emulsify the butter and water until creamy. Serve immediately with parmesan grated on top.