Pumpkin Cannelloni with Clams and Sage Brown Butter

Ingredients

• 2  bacon 
• 0.3 teaspoon pepper black
• 2 pounds hard-shelled clams such as littlenecks scrubbed well (less than 2 inches wide)
• 0.5 cup cooking wine dry white
• 0.8 cup fennel bulb diced () (sometimes called anise)
• 0.3 teaspoon fennel seeds 
• 0.3 cup parsley fresh chopped
• 1 tablespoon sage fresh chopped
• 8  sage leaves fresh
• 1  garlic clove minced
• 1 teaspoon juice of lemon fresh
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 16 inch pasta rectangles fresh
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 2 tablespoons shallots minced
• 1 pound pumpkin sweet peeled seeded cut into 1-inch cubes (3 cups)
• 0.3 cup butter unsalted
• 0.3 cup water 

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• frying pan
• paper towels
• sauce pan
• oven
• pot
• baking pan
• slotted spoon

Directions

1. Heat butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté squash and fennel with salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 4 minutes.
2. Add shallot and water and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Cool vegetables, then purée in a food processor until smooth and season with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat oven to 400°F.
4. Cook pasta sheets in a 4- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente, 1 to 2 minutes, then immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to cool.
5. Drain well, then pat sheets dry on paper towels and arrange in 1 layer in a well-oiled large shallow baking pan. Spoon 1/4 cup filling along 1 short end of a rectangle, then roll up filling in pasta. Make 3 more rolls in same manner and arrange, seam sides down, in baking pan.
6. Drizzle cannelloni with oil.
7. Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until fat is rendered but bacon is not yet crisp, about 5 minutes.
8. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes.
9. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
10. Add clams, wine, fennel seeds, and sage and cook, covered, until clams are fully open, 6 to 10 minutes, checking every minute after 6 minutes and removing clams as they fully open. (Discard any clams that have not opened after 10 minutes.)
11. While clams are cooking, bake cannelloni in middle of oven until heated through, 6 to 8 minutes.
12. Heat butter in a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then fry sage leaves until crisp, about 3 minutes.
13. Transfer leaves with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Season with salt.
14. Add shallot to butter and cook, stirring, until shallot is golden and butter is deep golden, 1 to 2 minutes.
15. Add lemon juice (butter will foam), then remove from heat. Stir in parsley and season brown butter with salt and pepper.
16. To serve, put a cannelloni in center of each of 4 warm large plates. Divide clams with juices among plates and drizzle with brown butter. Top with fried sage leaves.