The the ingredients and flavours of this plate of pasta are a perfect representation of the season of Autumn. The ravioli can be made a few days in advance or frozen on a tray and stored in a resealable container for a delicious meal at hand at all times. Both the pasta and the sauce only take a few minutes to cook and put together for an incredibly satisfying plate of pasta.
INGREDIENTS
150g pasta dough, rolled into sheets
300g butternut squash
1 tablespoon Parmeggiano Reggiano, grated
2 tablespoons ricotta
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 small sage leaves
Lemon juice and salt to taste
METHOD
1.Cut the butternut squash in half and place face down on a baking tray that has been lightly greased with olive oil. Place into the oven and bake for 45 minutes at 160°c. Once tender, scoop out the softened flesh and wring out any excess moisture in a kitchen towel or a sheet of muslin.
2. Place the ricotta, cooked butternut squash and Parmeggiano into a blender and blend at a high speed till the mixture is smooth but still has a stiff texture. Adjust salt as necessary. Place the mixture into a piping bag.
3. Roll out your pasta dough into thin sheets. Punch out 12 small rounds of your pasta sheets.
4. Pipe the butternut squash farse into the centre of 6 of the rounds leaving a rough diameter of 1cm from the edge free.
5. Wet the edge using a small amount of water on your fingertip. Place a round of pasta on top and crimp the edges around the farse well so as to avoid air pockets, sealing the raviolo. Repeat the process till all your ravioli are closed.
6. Place a pot of heavily salted water over high heat and bring to a rolling boil.
7. Place a sauté pan on a medium high heat and to it add the crushed clove of garlic and the butter. Once the butter has browned, remove the garlic and add the sage leaves. Cook for a few seconds and add the juice of half a lemon.
8. Place the ravioli into the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes.
9. Transfer the ravioli to the pan of sage butter with a ladleful of pasta water. Stir and reduce the liquid until the butter and water are well incorporated.
10. Serve immediately with generous amounts of grated Parmeggiano Reggiano.
