Homecookin

MUNCHIES [Homecookin']. Nothing says I love you like Ravioli

I’ve been on a cooking/baking kick since Chris has begun Fall classes; gotta make sure he’s fed well! This is how much I loooove my hubby.. the other day I surprised him with homemade heart-shaped kabocha (japanese pumpkin)/pine nut/parmesano ravioli with browned butter and fried fresh sage. The pasta was also homemade beet pasta that I rolled out on the nifty new pasta press Chris got for me that I probably will never put away.. just keep making more and more fresh pasta! It is so fun.. seriously. I know pasta only costs like 99 cents at the market, but if you’re like me, you prefer food made from scratch. Besides, you can make every-color-of-the-rainbow pasta every night if you like. Mmmm.

To complete the lunch, I also packed some strawberries, lychees, blueberries and blackberries and some amaretti cookies in heart-shaped cups. Not pictured are the homemade chunky choco-chip macadamia nut cookies for dessert. Our little illuminated alien dude is peering over in the background of the uncooked hearts (below left), hehe. Yah, we don’t feed him enough. Sorry the colors are weird; blame the new environmentally energy efficient dome-y light fixtures for that “retro glow”. It was really a pretty pretty maroon with a dayglow yellow-orange filling. You’re gonna have to trust me. (The last two shots are of the “preview” pasta run with mini ravioli boring ‘ol rectangles).

Here’s the original recipe from my most beloved felon Martha Stewart. I just substituted kabocha for regular pumpkin and beet pasta for store-bought pasta sheets, added some seasoned pinenuts I had toasted while the pumpkin was roasting:

Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter (Serves 4 to 6)

INGREDIENTS
* 1 3-pound sugar pumpkin, or butternut squash
* 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 teaspoons light-brown sugar
* 1 large egg
* 1/4 cup Locatelli cheese
* 3 large or 6 small amaretti cookies, crushed
* 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
* 1 teaspoon shallots, chopped
* Pinch of nutmeg
* Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
* 1 1/2 pounds store-bought fresh pasta sheets
* 1 tablespoon semolina flour
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
* 1 tablespoon freshly chopped sage leaves
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a work surface, cut pumpkin in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds; discard. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil evenly over insides of pumpkin halves; rub 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar into each. Roast, cut-side down, until pumpkin is easily pierced with a paring knife, about 1 hour. Let cool.

2. When cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh with a spoon. You’ll need 1 1/2 cups of purée. Transfer flesh to a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth; wring excess liquid into a bowl. Place flesh in the bowl of a food processor, along with egg, Locatelli, amaretti, ricotta, shallot, and a pinch of nutmeg; process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Lay 1 pasta sheet on work surface. Place 1 tablespoon filling every 3 inches. Brush water around filling. Place another sheet on top, pressing around filling to seal. Using a fluted pastry wheel, cut each ravioli into a 3-by-3-inch square. Repeat with remaining pasta sheets and filling. Transfer ravioli to a parchment-lined baking sheet sprinkled with semolina; freeze for at least 30 minutes.

4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; season with salt. Add ravioli; cook until it just floats, 3 to 4 minutes.

5. In a large sauté pan, melt butter over high heat. Add sage; cook until butter begins to brown and sizzle, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; whisk in balsamic. Using a slotted spoon, transfer ravioli to pan, tossing to combine. Serve immediately with cheese, if desired.

About the Author:

Kris Kobayashi-Nelson is an avid food adventurist who has tried everything from jellyfish to sea cucumber to chicken gizzards. She loved liver and onions with ketchup and cayenne pepper ice cream as a kid. She is now a happily mercury-poisoned pescetarian sushi lover. Pasta makes her purr.