Squash Ravioli with Browned Butter Sage Sauce & Spiced Pepitas

 
Well, it's official. Football season is in full swing, the weather has definitively made it's turn into Fall and we are starting our Comfort Food Sundays and Soupreme Mondays.

Although I fought the good fight and did not put on a pair of socks until yesterday, I am looking forward to moving into a new season. I am tired of zucchini and was SO happy to covet my first butternut squash.

Since I found a pint of ricotta cheese snuggling next to said squash in my cart, I knew it was a sign I had to make Butternut Squash Ravioli in a Brown Butter Sage Sauce. In this house that goes under the label of Comfort Food.

Having a half a package of eggroll wrappers I needed to use within the week, it was sorta a no brainer, right?
Isn't that what you would have thought of? No? Well, you should and I will tell you why......

I do love making pasta dough, I do hate making raviolis. I bought one of those contraptions, you know, the one that looks like it came out of an erector set that allows you to drape a sheet of fresh pasta down, then spoon a tablespoon of cheese in the indents, lay another piece of pasta over that and with one roll of your rolling pin, seal the whole deal and magically break into 12 raviolis.
NOT

I have no place to roll a decent length of pasta to make them the old fashioned way and I tickled with the idea from Alton Brown of using an ironing board but I draw the line at factoring in the extra work of having to vacuum my floor. That's not my idea of fun, sorry.

If it can't be made using a 24" x 30" cutting board, it don't get made.
I have convinced myself lately that it's OK to resort to Chinese pasta for ravioli making, especially if I can't get to Whole Foods to buy their fresh ones.

What you say? You have seen homemade pierogi on this site a few times, made from scratch. Yes, you be right mon, but it's a different dough and I used a pierogi press to make them.
So, why not do that? Well, ravioli's are never pleated.

It's an Italian thing and it's the cross I bear.

Butternut Squash Ravioli (the semi-cheater's way)
6 servings of 6 raviolis

• 2 cups diced butternust squash (but any squash will do)
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 4-5 whole cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon Fajita seasonings

Place all the ingredients in a large storage bag and grabbing the open end in one hand, shake aggressively until all the oil and seasonings are distributed evenly.
Preheat the oven to 375° and dump the squash in a single layer on a sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted into the squash finds no resistance. Remove and cool, then process to a puree.

• 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese, drained if using low fat variety
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Pureed squash mixture
• 8 egg roll wrappers or 18 wonton wrappers
• small bowl of water
• floured linen towel 

Cut the egg roll wrappers diagonally from point to point, making a triangle.
Place one piece wrapper on a work surface and using a teaspoon, place the filling in the middle.
With a pastry brush or a fingertip, moisten the edges of the wrapper and fold over matching point to point and sealing by pressing gently along the edges.

These took me all of 30 minutes to assemble and they can be frozen at this stage. When ready to eat, drop them into a pot of simmering water, bring back to a boil and cook.

It will be a triangle but look off-centered because the filling isn't centered. It's OK, trust me, they will taste just as good.

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup pasta water
• 5 whole sage leaves
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup grated cheese
• additional chopped sage for garnish (optional) 
• Spiced pepitas (optional, but worth it)

Bring a gallon of water to a rolling simmer and season with 1 tablespoon sea salt.
Gently drop the raviolis in one at a time and once they float to the top, I simmer 1 more minute then remove them to a sheet pan that has been coated with melted butter.

Move past to a warmed oven and in a large skillet, melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter and cook until you can see small brown bits forming in the bottom, add a ladle of pasta water to the butter to stop the butter from burning (yes, it goes from perfect to ruined in the blink of an eye).

Continue to simmer, adding the sage leaves and then the raviolis. If it gets too dry, add more water.
Spoon the ravioli's onto a warmed platter and spoon the sauce over them. Top with some additional grated cheese and chopped sage (optional), pepitas (also optional but SO worth it) and serve.