When I made the pumpkin, potato, and caramelized onion mash to go with my Sicilian meatballs several months ago, I cooked extra pumpkin and froze it in 1-cup amounts to use for future recipes.
The pumpkins at the farmers market this past fall were fantastic. Larry and Eunice grew some wonderful heirloom varieties and offered them at their stand, Larry’s Veggies. I know the season can be short, so I wanted to make sure I had enough on hand to get me through the winter.
I am so glad I roasted that extra pumpkin, as I haven’t seen pumpkins in the market for several weeks now. And, although it is a beautiful spring day, I craved something autumnal and pumpkin-y!
One of my favorite pasta dishes is pumpkin ravioli with brown butter and sage, with just a light dusting of Parmigiano-Reggiano. But somehow, until now, I’ve never made these traditional pillows from heaven for this blog!
Making ravioli by hand can be time-consuming, but it can also be a great way to spend time in the kitchen with friends, sipping wine and nibbling olives, while you make what seem to be millions of ravioli... but is only about 40, easily enough for a main course for four.
If you have pumpkin purée on hand (unsweetened and pure canned pumpkin will do in
a pinch), the filling is a breeze! You simply mix the pumpkin with some crushed
amaretti cookies, some grated cheese, and a dusting of nutmeg... that’s it!
As with most things, the entire recipe can be made without any
machinery. However, I do really like my Atlas pasta machine that I’ve now had
for 40 years. Someone asked me if I wanted their unused electric attachment for
my KitchenAid, but I’m so attached to my little hand-cranked version that I
said no.
I’ve had this dish only with brown butter and sage, but there
might be other traditional sauces to accompany these ravioli. Anyone out there
have any suggestions?
Oh… the cookies! I know this seems like an odd addition to a
savory dish, but it works. And, a touch of sweetness in pasta harkens back to
Renaissance times, when sweet was mixed with savory on a regular basis.
If you don’t want to make your own pasta, check with one of your
local Italian restaurants that serves fresh pasta. They may be willing to sell
you a few sheets!
~ David
2 cups flour
3 large eggs
sea salt
1 cup roasted pumpkin purée, drained if watery
6-7 amaretti cookies, crushed
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus extra for serving
a couple of gratings of nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 sage leaves
Start by making the pasta. You will need to do this at least a
half an hour before you start assembling the ravioli, as the dough needs to
rest before being rolled.
On your countertop, or on a large wooden board, make a mound of
the flour and then make a crater within the mound. Break the three eggs into
the crater, sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Then, using a fork, gently whisk the
eggs and, with each beat of the fork, incorporate a little of the flour. When
you’ve incorporated enough flour to make a sticky dough, start using your hands
adding more flour to the egg mixture until you have a nice firm dough. Knead
the dough for a few minutes, then wrap in plastic and let sit for 30 minutes.
While the pasta dough is resting, make the filling. Mix the
pumpkin, cookie crumbs, cheese, and nutmeg. Season with salt and freshly ground
black pepper. Set aside.
When the dough has rested sufficiently, unwrap it and cut it into
four pieces. Put three of the pieces back in the plastic wrap while you work on
the first. On a lightly floured board, knead the dough a few times until it is
nice and smooth. Then, using a pasta machine, roll the dough through the
thickest setting (#1 on my machine). Fold it in three, like you would a
business letter, and run it through the machine again, feeding in short end
first. Repeat this folding/rolling process until the dough is very satin-like
and smooth. Then, run the piece of dough through the next thinner setting (#2
on my machine). Continue rolling the dough with progressively thinner
settings, until you reach the second to last setting (#6 on my machine). You
should now have a very long sheet of pasta approximately 6 inches wide.
Lay the pasta flat on the counter. Using a measuring teaspoon,
place teaspoonfuls of filling on the half of the dough closest to you, about 2
1/2 to 3 inches apart, as shown in the illustration below. The dotted line represents where you will fold it later.
Once you have the filling done all the way across, use a pastry
brush to moisten the dough around each little mound of filling, as shown below with the blue lines.
Fold the dough over the filling, and press out any air bubbles
that form. Then press down where you moistened the dough to make a good seal.
Using a crimper, or a sharp knife, cut the ravioli into 2 1/2 to 3-inch
squares/rectangles. The zig-zag lines represent where you should cut (cut through the part that was moistened). Don't worry if they aren't all the same size.
Place formed ravioli onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and
place in the refrigerator uncovered.
Repeat the process with the remaining dough. You should end up
with at least 40 ravioli.
Bring a large, wide pot of water to a boil and salt it well.
Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet and add the sage
leaves. When the butter starts to turn a nutty brown, remove it immediately
from the heat.
Check the water - you don’t want a rolling boil, as it can easily
break the ravioli. Lower the ravioli in gently, and cook for 3 minutes at a gentle boil; they
will be floating on the surface when done. You likely will need to do this in
batches so you don’t overcrowd the pot. Using a spider or a slotted spoon,
remove the ravioli from the water and place them in the browned butter and sage.
When all the ravioli are cooked and in the butter/sage sauce, gently toss them to
coat with the sauce over medium heat. Serve immediately on warmed plates. As with all paste, the ravioli should not be swimming in butter - just a gentle coating.
Makes approximately 40 ravioli.
Labels: brown butter and sage, homemade pasta, pumpkin, ravioli di zucca, zucca
