Butternut Squash Ravioli with Butter & Sage

*Post by Angela.

Every now and again, I feel the need to make something that I know is going to take a lot of work, even if it's something I can easily purchase dining out or at the grocery store for not that much money. While flipping through my Williams-Sonoma cookbook the other day, I came across this recipe for butternut squash ravioli with browned butter and sage sauce, and decided to put the work in to make my own pasta sheets. I knew from previous experience that making pasta is a very work-intensive process, but I figured if I could get Mark to help, it might go a little faster. Three hours after I started, I was completely drained of the desire to ever make anything again, but I had a beautiful and delicious almost-restaurant-worthy dish and a sense of accomplishment I couldn't buy at the fanciest Italian eatery.

List of ingredients for the fresh pasta sheets:

• 3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 6 eggs
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 3 tbsp white wine

This dough recipe is kind of an amalgamation of recipes - following the Williams-Sonoma directions (which called for just 4 eggs and no wine) was just not working for me, so I broke out some of my other cookbooks to help remedy the situation. First, I mounded the flour on the counter and made a well in the center for 4 of the eggs, the olive oil and salt. I've learned from past attempts at making pasta that the well needs to be pretty wide and pretty deep so that the eggs don't spill out when you start beating the eggs.

Using a fork, I carefully beat the eggs with a fork, gradually pushing the flour into the center to get incorporated with the eggs. The Williams-Sonoma recipe was a giant mess - the dough was just not coming together - so I added one more egg, then two. It still wasn't quite the texture I wanted, so I borrowed from my Paley's Place cookbook and added 3 tbsp of white wine. I kneaded the dough for about 15 minutes (getting my arm workout in) until the dough was nice and smooth, then wrapped it in plastic wrap to sit for 30 minutes.

Once the dough had rested sufficiently, I got out my rarely-used pasta maker and drafted Mark to help me out. I cut the dough into 4 equal pieces, then wrapped up two of them and put them in the freezer for another day. With Mark's help, I passed the other pieces through the rollers, making them thinner and thinner with each pass.

We were a little impatient, so the dough was not quite as thin as it should have been, but it was good enough to do the job. I dusted each long pasta sheet with flour and covered them in plastic wrap to await the filling. You can also roll the dough out with a rolling pin if you don't have a pasta machine - I actually watched this method in operation on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives as I was cooking.

List of ingredients for the filling:

• 1 medium butternut squash, about 1 1/2 lbs
• 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs (I took a stale baguette, cut off the crusts, tore it into pieces and ran it through the food processor
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling at the end
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Ground nutmeg
• 1 egg plus 1 tsp water
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 15-20 fresh sage leaves

While the pasta dough was resting, I cut the butternut squash in half, scooped out the seeds and placed the halves, cut-side down, in a foil-lined, lightly oiled baking dish to cook in the oven for about 45 minutes at 400 degrees.

Once the squash was fully soft, I took it out of the oven and let it cool, then peeled it, coarsely chopped it and pureed it in the food processor, along with the bread crumbs, egg yolk, the 1/4 cup of Parmesan, and a pinch each of salt, pepper and nutmeg.

At this point, I was starting to get fatigued, but I pushed ahead - Mark had worked himself into a high state of anticipation and I wasn't about to disappoint him. I lightly floured my counter, and laid down a pasta sheet. I placed dollops (about 3/4 tbsp) of filling at even intervals, trying to leave enough space between them. Then I brushed the egg wash (the egg with 1 tsp water) onto the pasta sheet in between the filling

I placed a second pasta sheet over top the filling and pressed along the edges of the filling lumps to get all the air out and seal in the butternutty goodness. I cut the ravioli into squares, then put a pot of water on to boil.

Once the water was boiling, I heavily salted the water and dropped the ravioli in for about 3 minutes, being careful not to tear them. I removed the pasta squares gently with a slotted spoon and let them sit in a colander to drain for a moment.

The last element of the dish was the easiest. I heated 1/4 cup of butter over medium low heat in a pan, then added the sage leaves and let them cook until a little crispy, about 2-3 minutes.

I plated the drained ravioli with a drizzle of the butter and sage, and finished it off with a dusting of nutmeg and Parmesan cheese. Part of me was kind of hoping that it would be terrible, and then I would have an excuse to give up ever going through this ardous process ever again. Alas, it was a complete and total success - the filling was savory and sweet, almost creamy, and while the pasta sheets were a tad too thick, making them from scratch really made all the difference (although you could have a very nice dish with store-bought fresh pasta sheets - Whole Foods sells some nice fresh pasta). Mark gushed, saying that the ravioli was one of the best things I've ever made, and that if he had gotten it in a restaurant, he would have been ecstatic. Sigh. Now I feel compelled to make ravioli, and fresh pasta generally, again. Hopefully we can work on making the process a little more efficient in the future, and I'm looking forward to seeing what other kinds of awesome fillings we can come up with.

Comments

[Bryan]

Is there a pasta roller/machine you recommend over another or things to watch out for when getting your first one? I want to try this, but don't have the tool for it - I have the space.

IrfanView can white balance those pesky incandescent images lightning fast. Just so you know.

[Angela]

Bryan-
This is my first one (and I got it as a gift), so I'm not an expert, but I would say, find one with a big and sturdy clamp or a heavy base, otherwise the machine will slide all over the place while you're trying to crank the pasta through - that's what made this a two-person job, really. I think I might end up buying a motor for mine.

[Laetitia]

You guys are hard core! I made squash ravioli with butter and sage as appetizer last year for my Thanksgiving dinner (to go along a shot of squash soup) but used wontons instead of making my own pasta. I have a pasta maker though, I should really use it...

[Angela]

Oh! Wonton wrappers are brilliant! I might do that next time.