Butternut Squash Ravioli in Maple-Cream Sauce

I went to the wedding of Emily's cousin a few weeks ago, and for my main course at the reception I opted for the vegetarian dish: butternut squash ravioli. While I quite enjoy butternut squash -- it's among the many things I look forward to in fall -- the idea of stuffing it into a ravioli pouch never really occurred to me. As it turned out, my dinner was quite delicious and so, naturally, as soon as I returned home I decided to try my hand at this pasta-making business.

This particular recipe is adapted from a recipe I found on the Poor Girl Gourmet. I didn't change much, but I figure that I can be a bit more concise in my instructions than the author is. Also my pasta-making technique is better, in my opinion. After all, I have experience with this sort of thing.

 

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RAVIOLI IN MAPLE-CREAM SAUCE

prepares about 40 ravioli pieces

serves 5-6

For the pasta: 

• 3 cups flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• Water, as needed

For the squash filling: 

• 1 two-pound squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup fresh ricotta
• 1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste 

For the sauce:

• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 large shallot, diced
• 2 cups light cream
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme
• salt and pepper to taste 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  

To start, prepare the butternut squash. After peeling and cubing it, toss your squash pieces in a bowl with 2-3 tbsp olive oil until well coated. Transfer to a large-rimmed baking sheet, spreading evenly in one layer. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the cubes begin to brown and are easily pierced with a fork. 

While the butternut squash is baking, combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl before adding the eggs (one at a time) and olive oil, mixing well with your hands. Add water until the dough attains a leathery, pliable consistency without being sticky to the touch.  Turn your dough out onto a lightly-floured surface, kneading for about 10 minutes. Form into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, letting the glutens relax or whatever it is they're supposed to do.

After the squash has finished baking, let it cool for a bit before mashing with a fork or potato masher. Combine in a bowl with the ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, thyme, and parsley, adjusting with salt and pepper. (Go light, however; you will want to adjust the sauce as well, and you don't want the finished dish to be too heavy on salt or pepper.) Place in the refrigerator.

Once the dough has rested for a sufficient amount of time, knead out any remaining lumps and then divide it into two portions. Keep one piece of dough covered (to keep it moist) while you roll the second portion into a rectangle over a lightly floured work surface. You want the dough to be about 1/4 inch thick. Alternatively, you can use a handy-dandy pasta-making machine, if your kitchen happens to be equpped with one.

Or you can just use wonton wrappers, which I would actually recommend. Homemade pasta tends to be more of a hastle than it's really worth.

Once you have a sheet of pasta, cut it into rectangles that are about three inches tall. You will want pairs of rectangular sheets, each exactly the same width or close to it. 

Now on one of your two rectangular sheets, mark (but do not cut) lines every three inches along the width -- your end product will be squares that are about  3" tall and 3" wide. Take a one-tbsp dollop of squash filling and place it in the center of each imaginary square. 

Take the second rectangular sheet and lay it atop the first,  brushing the connecting edges with water so that they stick together.  Apply light downward pressure on each dollop so that the filling disperses more evenly within the pouches you've created. Using a crimping wheel, cut the sheets into 3" x  3" sqaurees. Well, to be more realistic, they'll probably be more like 2.5" x 2.5 " squares, as you'll lose some pasta to the crimper. Store the finished raviolis on a baking sheet in the refrigerator. 

In a large pot, bring salted water to boil. I like to add a tbsp or so of olive oil too.

When the water looks like it's about to boil, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and saute until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the cream and allow the mixture to simmer for a minute or so. Stir in the maple syrup, followed by the thyme, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the raviolis are done.

Even fresh, the raviolis should take about 7-10 minutes to cook completely. If you see a little of the orange butternut squash coloring, the pasta isn't quite done; you want each ravioli to be completely pasta-colored. Once finished, combine the raviolis and the sauce in a bowl and allow them to simmer together for a minute or two, spooning the sauce over the top to coat.

Transfer to plates and garnish with salt and pepper.

(N.B.  If you think you have prepared too many raviolis for one meal, don't cook them all! You can store them in the refrigerator for a week, or in the freezeer for up to a month. They cook quickly and the sauce is easy enough to prepare, so your leftovers can be turned into nice, quick weeknight dinners whenever you need them.)