SAUCE RECIPES FOR BUTTERNUT SQUASH RAVIOLI RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
• For the filling, place the butternut squash pieces into a large bowl, drizzle over two teaspoons of olive oil and stir to coat. Season, to taste, with a couple of pinches of salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper; stir again. Place the pieces of butternut squash into a roasting tray and roast in the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until tender.
• Meanwhile, add the onion slices to the bowl used to season the butternut squash. Drizzle over the remaining teaspoon of olive oil and stir to coat. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Once the butternut squash has roasted for 20 minutes, sprinkle over the onion slices and continue to roast for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside for five minutes, to cool.
• In a high-sided bowl, blend the warm vegetables to a thick, smooth purée using a hand-held blender. Set aside to cool for one hour. Once cooled, stir in the grated cheese and a little grated nutmeg. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then set aside until completely cool.
• Meanwhile, for the pasta, blend the flour and eggs in a food processor until the ingredients come together to form a dough. Continue to pulse for a further minute, removing the lid and turning the dough over every 15-20 seconds (CAUTION: keep hands well away from the sharp blade of the food processor).
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead well for 10 minutes, pummelling and stretching the dough until it is smooth, stretchy and has a slight sheen.
• Divide the dough into four portions and wrap each in cling film. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes
• When the pasta dough has chilled, take the first portion and roll it out onto a lightly floured work surface to a 1mm thickness (about the thickness of a penny), dusting the dough with a light coating of flour if it starts to stick. You need the surface area of the rolled-out dough to yield 12 discs, each 8.5cm/3½in in diameter.
• Using an 8.5cm/3½in cookie cutter, mark 12 circles in the sheet of pasta dough without cutting through the dough.
• Repeat the rolling-out process with the second portion of pasta dough. Set aside carefully.
• Divide the cooled filling mixture in half and place one heaped teaspoon into the centre of each marked pasta disc. Brush the dough surrounding the filling with a little cold water.
• Once all of the discs have been filled, lift the second sheet of pasta dough and drape it over the first, carefully smoothing the pasta around the filling using your fingertips to remove any air bubbles and stick the moistened sheets of pasta together.
• Dust a baking tray with a little flour. Use the same cookie cutter to cut out the 12 ravioli; place each on the prepared baking tray. Set aside until needed.
• Repeat the process with the remaining pasta and filling mixture to make 12 more ravioli..
• For the garnish, heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over a medium to high heat. Add the sage leaves and fry for 10-15 seconds, or until they look translucent. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper.
• Return the pan to the heat and add the sun-dried tomatoes. Fry for 20-30 seconds, stirring well, until heated through. Remove from the heat and set aside on a separate plate.
• To cook the ravioli, half-fill a very large saucepan with cold water. Add one teaspoon of salt and bring to the boil. When the water is boiling, carefully lower the ravioli into it, in batches if necessary, using a slotted spoon. Boil for a few minutes, until the pasta is cooked to your liking. (You could make some extra ravioli to test the cooking time.)
• Carefully drain the ravioli in a colander and return to the saucepan. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• To serve, divide the ravioli among four warmed plates, spooning over any sun-dried tomatoes left in the saucepan. Garnish with the fried sage leaves and sprinkle over a little cheese.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the amaretti cookies and blend until smooth. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.
• Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender*. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
• Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.
• Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.
• *When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.