Butternut Squash Raviolis

Butternut Squash Raviolis

There is nothing quite like fresh pasta. If you can plan ahead, then it is rather quick. This meal was made over the course of a few days, but can easily be done in one. I pulled out the squashes and pumpkins that I was storing in my basement, and kept forgetting about. The pumpkins thought they would enjoy the compost better, so off they went. The squash were looking just fine. There are so many things one can do with a squash I say just cook it and decide later. I peeled, cubed, tossed in oil, then roasted the butternut squash at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Once done, they hung out in the fridge until I decided what I wanted to do. I decided to use half for ravioli's. Day One Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel squash, scoop out the seeds, then cube. Place on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil salt and pepper. Place in the preheated over and cook for about 30 minutes. Once cooled, store in fridge for up to a couple of days. Day Two This time I made enough dough for 6 servings. Egg Pasta Recipe: 2 1/2 C flour 2 eggs 2 tbl olive oil 1 tsp salt 3/4-1 C water Make a mound of flour with a well on a clean work surface. Sprinkle the salt, crack the egg in the well and pour in the olive oil. Start with a little bit of water and work it all together with your hands. Continue adding water until it is the right consistency. You want it tacky, not sticky. Knead it for ~8 minutes, until elastic and shiny. Wrap the dough in plastic and toss it in the fridge for 30 minutes or over night.

Make the pasta directly on the counter...get your hands right in it.

Form a ball before covering with plastic wrap Butternut Squash Ravioli Filling: 1 cup mashed roasted butternut 1 cup ricotta 1 egg 1/4 Parmesan cheese Dash of salt and pepper Mash the roasted butternut squash and measure it out to approximately 1 cup. In bowl combine the squash, ricotta, egg, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Mix it all together.

mashed roasted butternut squash

Mix it all together well

butternut, egg, ricotta, Parmesan, salt, pepper Day Three Assembling and Cooking: Remove the dough from the fridge. Flour a clean work surface and divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Take one and flatten it out by tapping it with your finger tips. Then use a rolling pin to roll the dough out. Try to make a square or rectangle shape. The dough should be as thin as you can get it without having it tear on you. I like to score a halfway line on my rolled out dough so I know where I will fold it over. Place a clean spoonfuls of filling at least 1 inch apart. You should get 6 raviolis with each section. Brush the dough with water, this is your glue. Fold the dough over and gently push down from the filling out to remove air bubbles. Cut the ravioli's with a ravioli cutter, pizza cutter, or knife. Do not stack the finished uncooked raviolis on top of each other, they will stick. Repeat 3 more times. place a spoonful of filling evenly apart

cut with a knife, pizza cutter, or ravioli wheel

Meanwhile, fill a large pot with water. Bring to a rapid boil and throw in 2 tablespoons of salt. Cook about 6 raviolis at a time. You do not want to crowd the pan. They cook for about 3-4 minutes, depending on size. For sauce, a tomato sauce works great. I like to make a sage butter sauce by browning butter and adding garlic and fresh sage leaves. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. These make great leftovers too. Before putting them in the fridge drizzle some olive oil on them so they do not stick to each other. To reheat, heat a skillet on medium heat. Add the ravioli's with the olive oil and fry them up. Delicious. This meal is vegetarian.