Recipe: Pumpkin and Spinach Ravioli with Sage Butter

By Nancy Caivano

Pumpkin and Spinach Ravioli
with Sage Butter

Serves 6

Ingredients:

For Ravioli
One 2-3 lb. pumpkin
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or 1 tbsp. jar chopped garlic)
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
12 oz fresh spinach, stems removed,
leaves steamed until wilted and finely chopped
1 cup Ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan)
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp. sage, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 eggs

For Butter
1/4 cup butter
5 large sage leaves

Method:

Place whole pumpkin on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake at 350° F for about 90 minutes or until tender, turning sheet occasionally. Remove from oven. When cool enough to handle, peel pumpkin. The peel and stem should come away easily, sort of like a roasted pepper. Remove the seeds and stringy pulp with a large spoon. Place flesh into a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, celery and carrot. Sauté until onion just begins to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and sauté for 10 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Mix flour and 1/2 tsp. salt in large bowl; make well in center. Beat oil and eggs until well blended; pour into well. Stir with fork, gradually bringing flour mixture into center, until dough forms a ball. If dough is too dry, mix in up to 2 tbsp. water. Knead on lightly floured surface, adding flour if dough is sticky, until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover, and let rest 5 minutes. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Roll dough, one part at a time, into rectangle, about 12 x 10 inches (keep remaining dough covered).

Mix pumpkin purée, vegetable mixture, ricotta, egg, sage and parsley in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Drop mixture by 2 level teaspoonfuls onto half of the rectangle about 1-1/2 inches apart in 2 rows of 4 mounds each. Moisten edges of dough and dough between rows of pumpkin mixture with water. Fold other half of dough up over pumpkin mixture, pressing dough down gently around mixture to seal. Trim edges with a sharp knife. Cut between rows of filling to make ravioli; press edges with fork to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and pumpkin mixture. Place ravioli on towel; let stand, turning once, until dry, about 30 minutes. Cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling, salted water until tender, 10 to 15 minutes; drain.

While ravioli is cooking, melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add sage leaves. Cook, swirling butter in pan until butter is a golden brown. Be careful, as butter can burn quickly.

Toss ravioli with sage butter. Serve immediately and pass with extra grated cheese.