I’m not going to lie…this dish is a labor of love but one that if you persevere through it  you will realize it was not nearly as difficult as you thought it was going to be…and it is oh so rewarding when your family eats it and loves you all the more for taking the time to make them such a special meal! Make sure you read the recipe through before you begin so that none of the steps are a surprise. I developed this recipe from one in the cookbook Twelve: A Tuscan Cookbook called Ravioli di zucca con burro e salvia .

Bon apetito my friends!!!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Italian Sausage Ravioli with Crispy Sage Brown Butter Sauce

To make the pasta:

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

4 eggs

1) If you have stone countertops or a marble cutting board, place the flour on the countertop and make a well (if not, I’d use a large shallow bowl). Crack the eggs into the well and begin beating the eggs gently with a fork. Once mixed, gradually push some of the flour from the edges toward the middle and continue mixing with a fork until it forms a batter like consistency. Be careful not to break the circle or the eggs will run out of the well.

2) Gradually incorporate as much of the flour as you can into the batter until it reaches a doughy consistency. Eventually you will have to switch from using the fork to using your hands and kneading the dough. Don’t worry that it appears dry, just keep kneading it and trying to work in the flour (not all of it will go in anyways). Knead for 10 minutes then cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

While the dough is resting, prepare the filling:

2 small or 1 large butternut squash

olive oil

salt and pepper

1/4 c. sweet onion, very finely diced

1 clove garlic, very finely diced

2 italian sausages of your choice (I like the hot/sweet variety)

1/2 c. grated Parmigiano Reggiano

1/2 c. good quality ricotta (do not use cottage cheese as the consistency is wrong)

2 eggs

1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

1) Slice the butternut squash in half, deseed, and place in a baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Don’t be shy about seasoning these at this point! Place in a 350F oven for about 45 minutes or until cooked soft. Remove from oven and cool.

2) Add 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil to a saute pan and bring to medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sweat until just translucent. Remove sausage meat from casings and add to the onions and garlic, cooking until well done and crumbly.

3) Remove the meat mixture from the heat and add it to a mixing bowl (I like using my big Kitchen Aid mixer for this step so that the filling has a nice smooth consistency). Scoop the squash out from the skins and add this to the mix along with the ricotta, Parmigiano Reggiano, and eggs. Mix until nice and smooth. Set in fridge until ready to use.

To roll out the pasta and make the ravioli:

I use a pasta attachment that adds on to my Kitchen Aid mixer, but a hand rolling machine would work just as well.

1) Divide the dough into four equal pieces and keep them covered in a moistened tea towel until ready to use. Take one piece of dough and flatten into a rough rectangle. Roll this piece of dough through the widest setting on your pasta roller. When it’s through, double it up and roll it again. Repeat this step 3 or four times. Turn the pasta roller down to the next thinnest setting and start the process again. Keep rolling the dough through all the settings until you have reached the thinnest (again rolling it 3 or four times at each step). You will be amazed at how such a dry dough initially softened up during the resting and becomes astonishingly pliable and elastic through this process!

2) I roll and stuff the pasta sheets one at a time…so when the first sheet is rolled to its thinnest point, place on counter and slice the sheet in two lengthwise, making one sheet slightly longer than the other. On the shorter sheet, using a teaspoon (not a tablespoon) very carefully place filling in two rows down the length. You should be able to get 8-10 ravioli placed along the sheet. Using your finger and a small bowl of water, wet the edges of this sheet and between the ravioli. Place the other sheet carefully on top and lightly press the dough in between the filling from one end to the other. This is where you will appreciate that this top sheet is longer than the bottom. Using a pasta crimper, or a knife, cut along the edges and in between the individual ravioli to seal the edges. If using a knife, you will need to crimp the edges with a fork to finish the seal. [NOTE: it's important to only place the filling on the dough once and keep it there as moving it will interfere with the pasta sealing properly.]

3) When the ravioli are all formed, place them on a cooling rack to allow air to circulate around them. Move on to the next sheet and repeat until the dough is all rolled and ravioli are all formed.

To make the sauce and serve the ravioli:

1 stick butter

20 sage leaves

1) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil then turn back to a slow boil. Meanwhile, in a frying pan melt one stick of butter and when just melted add about 20 fresh sage leaves. Cook the leaves in the butter until JUST crisp and turn off and remove from heat.

3) When water is just boiling, add the ravioli in small batches. I cooked 16 ravioli in one dutch oven sized pot. Set the timer for 5 minutes and rewarm the butter sauce. Watch the pasta and do not let the water come to a hard boil: turn down the heat if necessary to keep it soft and the ravioli from being too harshly tossed around in the water.

4) When cooked, carefully remove from water with a slotted spoon and drain onto a tea towel or paper towel from the spoon. Make sure they are well-drained so that the sauce does not get diluted. Place anywhere between 4-8 ravioli in a soup plate or shallow bowl (depending on whether this is a starter or a main course) and top with a little of the brown butter and a few of the crispy sage leaves. Grate as much extra Parmigiano Reggiano on top as you would like. I just put the block and grater on the table and let everyone go to town with it!

After that…DIG IN and enjoy! And don’t forget to pour a nice little glass of wine to compliment the dish!

From my house and home to you and yours!

Love,

Suzie