BUTTERNUT SQUASH PILLOWS WITH SAGE BURNT BUTTER SAUCE
I decided to make some homemade pasta and make Ravioli, but I only have a round pasta cutter so I suppose they cannot technically be called ravioli!! I made two types and here is the first one, Butternut Squash Pillows with Sage Burnt Butter Sauce. Cheese Pillows with Tomato and Basil Sauce recipe will follow!!! Many years ago we used to go to the south of Spain and there was a little restaurant high up in the hills which served the most delicious Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Burnt Butter Sauce and since then I have never tasted one which was as good. So I thought I would give it a try. We thought it was delicious, so I hope you do too.
I used the pasta attachment to my kitchen aid, so you do need to have a pasta rolling machine for this recipe, either manual or attached to a mixer.
First to make the Pasta. I used the recipe out of Jamie Oliver’s Italian cookbook.
- 600g Tipo 00 Flour
- 6 eggs
- Semolina Flour for rolling out the Pasta Dough
Put the flour into a bowl, make a well in the centre and crack the eggs into it. Using a fork, beat the eggs till smooth. Mix together with the flour as much as possible. Flour each hand, and the worktop, and tip out the dough and knead. You want to end up with a nice smooth elastic dough.
Mine was a bit sticky so I added some more flour to the kneading process. Cover with cling film and leave to rest for 1/2 hour in the fridge before rolling and shaping it.
FILLING:
- 2 small Butternut Squash
- 1/2 tub Ricotta
- 1 egg yolk
- Sea Salt and Ground Black Pepper to taste
Peel and cut the Butternut Squash into smallish pieces and roast in an oven at 180 degrees until they are nicely soft and a little brown around the edges. Mine took around 1 hour and I turned them a few times to get even brown edges. Once they have cooled down, whizz the Butternut Squash in a food processor with the Ricotta the egg yolk and Sea Salt and Pepper. You will have a delicious creamy puree.
SAUCE:
- a handful of fresh Sage leaves
- 150g Butter
Now for the tricky bit: Rolling out the Pasta and filling it with the Puree.
I used the pasta attachment on my Kitchen Aid. I took a piece of Pasta Dough and put it through the No 1 setting on machine. Then setting No 2, folding the Pasta over together and then putting it through again on No 2. Then No 3 and then No 4. (I tried No 5 but it made it too thin and difficult to handle).
Put some Semolina Flour on your bench and lay the sheet of Pasta down. I have a round pasta cutter which I lightly placed on half the sheet to mark out my shapes and then filled each shape with a small portion of the Puree. I wet around each shape with some water and folded the other half of the pasta over and pressed down around the filling. Then I used my pasta cutter to press down and cut out the filled pasta shape. Place these on a tray covered with Semolina Flour and continue on with the rest of the pasta until you have enough for your meal. I served 6 per person.
I had Pasta Dough left over which I froze and used to make Tagliatelle later for another meal which worked perfectly!
To Cook the Pasta: Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and drop in your Pillows. Once they have floated to the surface, they are cooked. It only takes a few minutes. Drain and put into heated bowls, ready for the Burnt Butter sauce.
Whilst the Pasta is cooking, make your sauce. This is very simple.
Place the butter into a large frying pan and melt. Add the Sage Leaves. Keep cooking on a low heat until it starts to turn brown, then keep a good eye on it, you want it to be a nutty brown but not burnt. Once it has achieved the desired brownness, take it off the heat and spoon over your Pumpkin Parcels, making sure some of the Sage Leaves are in each dish.
Enjoy !!!
