holy moly, butternut squash ravioli!

a couple weekends ago we went over to our friends LV & mikey's for dinner (aka the ventursons). we had roast chicken with string beans, roasted potatoes and butternut squash. everything was really delish, but what stood out for me was the butternut squash. LV had prepared it very simply - peeled and cut into 1" chunks and then roasted with salt and pepper - and it was so good.

i've been looking to make something with butternut squash since that weekend (especially as its season is basically over). i thought maybe ravioli would be a fun thing to try out; i haven't made any in the longest time and rainbow grocery happens to carry sheets of pre-rolled pasta, so the most labor-intensive (read: annoying) part of the process wouldn't be an issue. i also conveniently *just happened to have* a mess of fresh sage that would pair well with the squash. (sage: yet another impulse buy...sometimes...i don't know what gets into me. i lose my head at the farmers' market. apparently, i'm excited by produce. but i've been getting better. sorta. *sigh*)

i thought a nice hazelnut brown-butter sauce would go well with the squash and sage; rich, yes, but considering that the filling was, well, NOT, i figured it'd be fine. i made the ravioli a little larger than intended, so there were enough for about only 3 servings - basically, dinner for two, plus leftover for someone on "fend foh yo'self" night. (otherwise known as: "wednesday," since kevin is ditching me to go out to dinner with some dude. hmph.) recipe below - adjusted this time to make enough for 4 - enjoy!


Butternut Squash & Sage Ravioli with Hazelnut Brown-Butter Sauce

Ravioli
1-lb butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 medium onion, diced
2 tbsps very finely chopped fresh sage
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 garlic clove, minced

Wide fresh pasta sheets
1 egg + 1 tbsp water, lightly beaten with fork

Brown-Butter Sauce
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 handful whole hazelnuts, lightly toasted and then skinned, coarsely chopped

Grated aged goat cheese

Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly grease baking sheet and place squash halves, cut sides down. Roast in middle of oven about 20 minutes, or until flesh is soft. Scoop out squash into a bowl, discard skin. Mash squash with fork until smooth.

While squash is in oven, in a medium pan over medium heat, melt butter and saute garlic until softened. Add onion and sage and cook until onions start to turn brown on edges. Add onion mixture to squash and stir well.

Unroll a little less than half the pasta on lightly floured surface. Mound 2 tsps of filling at about 1" intervals (the width of the pasta I use made two rows). Brush egg wash on pasta around the filling. Lay the other half of the pasta on top of bottom layer, making sure to ease pasta along the mounds of filling and patting down edges. Use a knife and cut raviolis into squares; use tines of fork to seal ravioli edges shut. Allow ravioli to dry slightly. Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil.

In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat and then add hazelnuts until butter begins to brown (~5 minutes). Remove from heat; season brown-butter sauce to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm, covered.

When water in pot comes to boil, add about 6 ravioli at a time and cook until they rise to surface. Remove using slotted spoon and transfer to colander to drain. Divide ravioli among 4 plates; drizzle hazelnut brown-butter sauce over ravioli and then sprinkle grated goat cheese on top. Serves 4.