ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH RAVIOLI RECIPES

Steps:

• For the soup:
• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and cinnamon stick and saute until soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the chicken stock and the coriander, if using, and bring to a boil. Simmer for several minutes. Stir in the squash until smooth, then simmer gently to let the flavors meld, about 10 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick.
• Puree the soup in a blender until smooth. (The soup can be made ahead to this point, cooled, covered, and refrigerated for several days or frozen for about 1 month. It will thicken as it cools and may need thinning with stock or water when reheating.)
• Return the soup to the pan and reheat gently. Add the half-and-half, if using. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Keep warm until service.
• To serve:
• Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Garnish evenly, with the cheese and pumpkin seeds, if desired.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler. Halve lengthwise, discard the seeds, then cut into 1-inch dice. Place in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter ceases to foam and has turned a light brown, pull the pan off the heat and immediately add the sage, sugar, vinegar (stand back so as not to get splattered), molasses and toasted spice rub. Mix well and let simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes to meld the flavors.
• Pour the vinegar mixture over the squash and toss well, then transfer to a heavy rimmed baking sheet or baking dish large enough to hold the squash in a single layer. Place in the oven and roast, tossing at least once, until very tender and caramelized, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside until cool enough to handle but still warm, so the liquids are runny.
• Working in batches, if necessary, transfer the warm squash and all the cooking liquids to a food processor and process until smooth. Use immediately, refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
• Serving suggestions: Serve the puree on its own as a side dish for roast chicken, turkey, or pork; stir into polenta just before the end of cooking; use as a stuffing for ravioli; make into a soup; or use to flavor pastina. Or omit the sage, season with ground cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg to taste, and use as a substitute for canned pumpkin in your favorite pumpkin pie recipe.
• Toast the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a small, heavy pan over medium heat. When the fennel turns light brown, work quickly. Turn on the exhaust fan, add the red pepper flakes, and toss, toss, toss, always under the fan. Immediately turn the spice mixture out onto a plate to cool.
• Put mixture into a blender with the chili powder, salt, and cinnamon and blend until the spices are evenly ground. If you have a small spice mill or a coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices, grind only the fennel, coriander, pepper, and chili flakes. Pour into a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients. Keep the spice mix in a glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze.

Steps:

• For the pasta dough: Mix both flours together in a bowl. Make a fountain in the center and add the eggs, olive oil and some salt. Mix with your hands, adding just enough water for the dough to bind. You want to have a ball of dough that is fairly hard and a little dry, so add very little water. Cover with a towel and let set for an hour or so.
• For the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the butternut in half lengthwise and lay the squash on a baking sheet. Take 100g of the butter and divide it among each cavity of the squash. Sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until it starts to brown and the squash are soft to the tip of a knife, about 45 minutes.
• With a large spoon, scrape the squash off the skin into a bowl and set aside.
• Dice the onion about 1/8 inch; chop the garlic and thinly cut the sage.
• In a large saucepan on medium heat, heat up the olive oil. Add the onion and saute until golden brown. Then add the garlic and sage and sweat a little longer. Add the squash, season with salt and pepper and cook on medium heat until it has the consistency of a puree. Move to a food processor and pulse briefly to remove the large chunks.
• In a bowl, add the ricotta, season with salt and pepper and add to the squash puree. Fill a piping bag with the filling.
• Roll the dough with your pasta machine. Using a ravioli mold, fill each ravioli with the butternut squash filling.
• Cook the ravioli in a large saucepot with plenty of boiling salted water. Then saute in the remaining butter. Enjoy.