Squash Ravioli
Recipe by Nicole Thom-Arens
Makes 20 2-inch ravioli
Making homemade pasta sounds intimidating, but with a bit of time and a pasta roller, delicious homemade pasta is quite easy. Squash ravioli with brown butter and sage takes me back to a raining evening in London in 2007 when Tim and I wondered into a café near Harrods for the last supper of our vacation. It was our first trip to Europe and one that defined so many aspects of my life since. This ravioli would be just as tasty with a cream sauce.
Ingredients:
Pasta:2 cups Tipo “00” flour3 large eggs2 large egg yolks 1 tablespoon olive oil
Filling:1 cup cooled unseasoned, mashed roasted winter squash (If using seasoned squash, adjust the salt and pepper as needed.)1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (Reduce to 1/4 teaspoon if not using Diamond.)Black pepper to taste
Sauce:1/4 cup unsalted butter7 to 8 fresh sage leavesPinch of salt
Instructions:1. To make the pasta, clean a large worksurface. Add the flour in a mound directly on the worksurface. In a medium-sized bowl, add the egg yolks and eggs. Whisk together. Whisk in the olive oil. 2. Make a well in the center of the flour. Add half the egg mixture. Whisk the eggs and flour together by adding in a little flour at a time while whisking the eggs—keeping the sides of the flour mound intact. Continue adding the egg mixture to the well while working in all of the flour. 3. Once the egg and flour are incorporated, scrape and knead the dough using a bench scraper until a dough forms that is easier to knead by hand. Knead the dough until smooth and springy—about 10 minutes. 4. After kneading, cover the dough and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. 5. While the dough is resting, prepare the filling by mixing the squash, ricotta, sage, salt, and pepper. Set aside and allow to come to room temperature. 6. Prepare a small bowl of water for the ravioli assembly. Set aside.7. Once the dough has rested, cut it into 4 pieces. Working with one section of the dough, and keeping the rest covered, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to of your pasta roller to create a sheet of pasta. (You could roll this out by hand, but I find best results using a roller for consistently thin sheets of pasta.)8. Generously flour the sheet of pasta and cut it in half. On one half, gently press the floured ravioli cutter into the dough to mark out the ravioli. Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each ravioli marking. Press down slightly to flatten the filling. Dip your finger into the small bowl of water and dampen the pasta around each mound of filling. 9. Gently place the remaining half of the past on top of the sheet with the filling. Using your hands, seal the filling by pressing the top sheet of pasta down and cupping your hand around the filling to create a seal but not to press the filling around. 10. Using a floured ravioli cutter, cut each ravioli. Place each cut ravioli on a generously floured surface. 11. Continue rolling, filling, and cutting until all the pasta is used. (You will have a good amount of pasta scraps. You can boil these and save them for a sauce or just toss them.)12. To make the brown butter sauce, add the butter to a Dutch oven or sauté pan set over medium-low heat. Melt the butter. Once it has melted, continue to cook the butter until it is brown. (You’ll notice that the butter stops sizzling when it begins to brown. Watch it closely so that it doesn’t burn.) Add a pinch of salt and the sage leaves. Remove from the heat. 13. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat on the stovetop. Once boiling, add a generous amount of salt to the water then add the ravioli—shaking off the excess flour. Reduce the heat to cook the ravioli at a low boil. Cook until the pasta is tender on the sides—about 5 minutes. 14. Return the brown butter to low heat. Add 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Stir to emulsify the sauce. Add the cooked ravioli and gently toss the pasta with the sauce. Serve immediately.