Monday, October 10, 2011

Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter Sauce and Toasted Walnuts


It's fall.  My "fruit" bowl is now overflowing with squash varieties, pumpkins, and pears.  This is probably my favorite time of year.  The leaves are ablaze in oranges and reds, signaling yet another change of the seasons {and wardrobes and home decor and menu options}.  But it's all good because we have homemade pumpkin-stuffed ravioli.  Ohhh, do we ever.


This is going to be short and sweet because words simply cannot describe how dreamy this stuff is.  We made it two weeks in a row because it is absolutely addicting.  The key to this dish is to use homemade noodles and  real roasted pumpkin - not the canned kind.  It's amazing how rich the flavors are from the real stuff.  It's so worth the extra work.  This recipe happend by chance - I got a small pumpkin in the farm share a couple weeks back and really wasn't in the mood for baking a pie {I'm not really much a baker}.  So, what better way to use it up than to roast it and stuff it into some homemade noodle sheets?  Yeahhh.

Here is my recipe for homemade noodles.  You will want to skip the part about passing the noodles through the cutter setting.  You won't be cutting these into a shape - you just want the thinly rolled sheets.  I also don't use a ravioli machine that shapes and cuts for you.  I just do it by hand - and I find it quite fun {but that's just me}. 

In the spirit of fall, I seriously hope you try these.  They are out of this world!

Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter Sauce and Toasted Walnuts
Recipe by A Toast to Taste
Photos by A Toast to Taste

Ingredients Needed:

For the Filling:
1 small pie pumpkin, peeled, cubed, and roasted {I roast with olive oil, salt and pepper}
2 small shallots, chopped and sauteed in butter
1/3 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
dash cayenne pepper
dash kosher salt

For the Sauce:
1/2 stick butter
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted
dash of dry rubbed sage

For the Noodles:
Link is in the post above.  Make 1 batch.

Makes about 18 raviolis.

Start with the filling.  Place roasted pumpkin in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until smooth.  Remove to a separate bowl and add in sauteed shallots, grated cheese, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and salt.  Stir together until well combined.  Set aside.


Then make the noodles.  Place rolled sheets on a well floured cutting board or countertop surface.  Using a tablespoon, scoop pumpkin mixture and place in the center of noodle, one after the other, spaced about an inch apart, leaving about an inch on each end.  Fold top part of noodle over the pumpkin mounds and press together with the bottom part of the noodle.  Using your pointer and middle finger, press down between the mounds, making sure to remove any air pockets that may exist.  Then, cut the ravioli using either a knife or pasta cutter in between the mounds to create individual raviolis.  Take a fork and press the edges together to prevent them from popping open during the cooking process.



At this point you will want to start melting your butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Then drop the raviolis into a pot of boiling salted water.  These will only take about 2-3 minutes to cook through, if that.  Keep your eye on them.  Once they float to the top, they are done.  Drain and place in a large serving bowl.  Once the butter has foamed and smells nutty, remove from the heat and pour over the raviolis.  Add toasted walnuts and sprinkle with dry rubbed sage and freshly grated pecorino.  Gently toss and serve!