ravioli recipe

Years ago on Thanksgiving, I was so stupid! I served roasted butternut squash ravioli as a first course. Everyone loved them so much, they ate two and three servings. When it came time for the turkey, no one ate it! I never did that again however this past weekend when I found a bowl of mashed Rugosa squash in my refrigerator leftover from Thanksgiving I decided it was time to make the ravioli again.

Maybe I was really hungry... Maybe it was the OO flour that made my dough silky smooth... Could it have been the 2006 Joseph Phelps Viognier I paired the ravioli? Or was it the flavor of the Rugosa squash that made them so incredibly delicious!?

Rugosa is my new favorite ingredient this fall! I special ordered them from Julia at Mariquita Farms where I get my CSA box. I think I must have looked shocked as Julia handed me these 2 huge squash, "If you don't want 'em, chefs around the city are clamouring for them!" I quickly grabbed both and headed home.

Rugosa squash, also known as Rugosa di Fruili Zucchino, comes from the Veneto in northern Italy. When mashed, it looks like mashed sweet potatoes but the flavor is so different. Rugosa is very earthy, rich with incredible depth of flavor and a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity. If you want some seeds, I found them online.

SQUASH RAVIOLI WITH HAZELNUT BUTTER AND PARMESAN

2 pounds winter squash, Rugosa, hubbard, butternut, turban
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped sage
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced, cut into 1/4" strips
1 teaspoon walnut or hazelnut oil
1/3 cup hazelnuts, chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 pound egg pasta dough

Preheat an oven to 350o F. Cut squash in half, place on an oiled baking sheet and bake until easily skewered, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove the seeds and skin and discard. Mash the pulp with a potato masher or by pulsing a few times in a food processor. Place the squash, bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, thyme, rosemary, sage and orange zest in a bowl. Mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a small frying pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Cook the prosciutto until light golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and reserve. Add the nut oil and hazelnuts, and cook, stirring occasionally until light golden, 3 minutes. Remove from the pan. In a saucepan over medium high heat, melt the butter and cook it until it turns brown and just begins to smoke, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove immediately from the heat and add nutmeg.

Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Using a pasta machine, roll the pasta until you can almost see your hand through the dough. Place the sheet of pasta on a well floured work surface. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of squash filling at one end of the dough, just below the center of the dough. Continue to place mounds of filling all the way down the dough leaving approximately 1 1/2" between each mound. With a spray bottle filled with water, spray the edges with a very light mist of water. Fold the top half of the dough over the squash filling to encase the filling and seal around the edges. With a zig-zag roller, trim the long side close to the edge and discard. Cut in between each ravioli.

Bring a large pot of boiling salted water to a boil. Add the ravioli and cook until tender 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and place in a large serving bowl. Toss carefully with the brown butter. Garnish with prosciutto, hazelnuts and Parmesan. Serve immediately

Serves 6 to 8

EGG PASTA DOUGH

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 whole eggs
1 tablespoon water

In the bowl to the food processor, pulse together the flour and salt. Add the eggs and water and process until the dough forms a soft ball but is not sticky. If so, add more flour a tablespoon at a time until it isn't sticky. Remove the dough from the food processor bowl and knead on a very lightly floured board until soft and smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Let the dough rest wrapped in plastic wrap for at least 30 minutes.

Makes approximately 1 lb. pasta