Welcome to the visual recipe, where I don't have a set ingredient or amount list, but I walk through everything alongside my photos to give some direction and an indication of what they hell I did.
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An overview of some of the goodness in this dish. Beautiful sage, shallot, pine nuts, eggs, butternut squash (of course), and garlic.
Butternut Squash Purée
What's going in the butternut squash purée? Turmeric, garam masala, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, ginger, clove, shallot. There's more, too.
I used half of the squash for this recipe.
Sauté the shallots and garlic then add the spices.
Next, add the squash and cook until soft.
Remove the star anise and cinnamon stick and blitz everything.
Once done, add in ricotta and parmesan and fold in with a spatula.
Cook the purée until it has reduced into a thick paste consistency and set aside (it can cool off).
Pasta Dough
I used 286 grams of Tipo 00 flour along with seven yolks - and it looks like 2 whites. I play around with mixtures all the time, so even this isn't a standard for me. I've done non-egg doughs, too, but I primarily do yolk doughs.
The one thing that's always consistent: Tipo 00 flour.
Mix the egg and dough together with a fork until it gets thick then knead until a smooth ball is formed. Add extra flour if it's too wet; extra egg if it's too dry. Cover in plastic wrap and set aside for 20-30 mins.
Use a bench scraper to separate the ball into four equal sections. Flatten each out into somewhat of a rectangle and roll out sheets, using a pasta roller, rolling pin, or a mixer attachment like you see here.
Ravioli
Add about a tablespoon of purée 1.5 - 2" apart the whole length of the shortest dough sheet.
Use water and your finger to wet the area around each dollop then add a second sheet of pasta over the purée and press down around, getting as much air out as possible, and forming into a circle.
Then cut with whatever is handy. I used a roller here to get a fancy edge. I like my raviolis to have a bit of a chew, so I don't cut too close to the center.
Repeat with the last two dough sheets.
Lightly dust each one with flour and set aside. Things about to get hot in here.
Roasted Shiitake
Toss a bunch of shiitake mushrooms in evoo, thyme, salt, and pepper. Spread them out on a baking sheet (no parchment) and place in an oven at 400 for about 12-20 minutes (depends on size and how crispy you want them). These guys were small and didn't take long.
Crispy Sage & Toasted Pine Nuts
No Pictures:
For crispy sage, heat some grapeseed oil on medium to medium-high and when the oil is shimmering, place some sage leaves in it. Move them around to coat, and when they begin to crisp be ready to take them out. If they turn black, do over with new oil. Otherwise, remove them onto a paper towel.
For toasted pine nuts, heat a pan on medium and once warm, add two-three tablespoons of pine nuts. Move them / shake them around consistently, but not constantly. You'll notice they'll stick if you leave them sit too long. Look for a slight browning and nutty notes in the air and they'll be ready to remove to a plate to cool off. If they burn, let the pan cool off and try again.
Sage Browned Butter
Alright, onto some more good stuffs. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and stir in a couple sprigs of sage. Stir a bit and cook until the butter starts to turn brown. Turn off heat and let infuse a few minutes and discard the sage.
Cook the Ravioli
No Picture: Next, boil in heavily salted water for about 3 minutes, until floating. Do this in batches so the pot isn't overcrowded. Set aside on a rack as they finish.
While the ravioli is-a-boiling, or after they're all done, get that butter back up to temp over medium heat, swirling to keep an even cook. Once it starts to foam, add the ravioli and spoon the butter over them continuously to coat. Turn off the heat and set aside for plating.
For this plating, I did five raviolis placed in somewhat of a circle. Next, I topped with a bit more of the browned butter, pine nuts, and mushrooms. Finally, sage leaves were added with a final pinch of parmesan. Aaaand, we're ready to sit down and eat!
Tell us what you think!