Pumpkin Ravioli is one of those Italian dishes that became so popular in America in the 1980’s. It’s still a crowd pleaser today. I thought it would be fun to try to make pasta from scratch without instruction-haha! I knew it would be tough. But, I was up for the challenge. It was a lot of fun. Give yourself time to make this dish. The pasta has to rest before you start making the pasta sheets. It was so good! The warm butter and herbal scent of sage compliment the sweetness of the pumpkin so wonderfully.
Ingredients
Pasta
1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
½ teaspoon olive oil
water, in a spray bottle
Filling
½ cup (123 g) ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ cup (28 g) mozzarella cheese, grated
¼ cup (25 g) parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for garnish
1 cup (245 g) pure pumpkin
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Brown Butter Sauce
⅓ cup unsalted butter
½ teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon fresh sage, finely diced
Make the Pasta Dough
Sift flour and salt onto a work surface.
Make a wide well in the center of the flour.
Crack the full egg in the well.
Add egg yolks and oil and gently whisk the wet mixture together within the well.
Slowly fold in the flour mixture, a little at a time, until the dough is too stiff to mix with a fork.
Using a bench scraper, cut into the mixture to break up the gluten, while continuously using your hands to bring the entire mixture together. Fold it into a single mass.
Knead the dough with your hands for 7-10 minutes, adding more flour as needed.
Form a ball with the dough and cover it, allowing it to rest for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough out into a ¼ inch thick rectangle (thin enough to fit into a pasta roller attachment at its widest setting).
Move the rollers to the next smallest setting and pass the dough through again. Continuously lower the size settings, passing the dough through once or twice each time.
Stop rolling with the dough is thin enough to partially see-through.
Cut the length of dough into 24-inch sections. Set aside as you make the filling and garlic brown butter.
Filling
In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, sugar,mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, pure pumpkin, garlic, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Brown Butter Sauce
In a medium saucepan, melt butter.
Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Be sure to not overcook the garlic.
Add salt, pepper, and sage. Remove from heat.
Lay out each section and, working one pasta sheet at a time, lightly spray each sheet with water.
Starting on one edge, spoon out 2 teaspoons of filling in the center of each sheet, leaving 1 inch of space on each side.
Lift the top edge of the sheet and bring it over the top of the filling, lining it up with the bottom edge.
Using your fingers, gently press the dough as close as you can to the filling. Try to eliminate any air pockets that form.
Press again on the edge to seal it completely.
Using a fluted pastry wheel, trim the long edge of the pasta. Then cut in between each section to create the individual ravioli.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add ravioli to hot water, working in batches to not overcrowd the pot.
Cook for 3-4 minutes. Then, using a slotted spoon, gently scoop out the ravioli, strain out any excess water, and transfer to a plate.
Drizzle brown butter sauce over ravioli.
Top with extra grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
