Squash Ravioli With Herbed Butter Sauce

Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups butternut squash, rind removed, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 8 tablespoons butter
• 12 -16 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced

Recipe

• 1 make the filling. heat the oven to 350 degrees. arrange the squash on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast it until tender when peirced with a fork, about 30 minutes. allow the squash to cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer it to a medium-size bowl. blend the squash with the milk, cheese, and nutmeg until it has a smooth, mashed potato-like consistancy. note: the squash can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container.
• 2 make the pasta. on a clean work surface. mound the flour and make a well in the center. in a small bowl use a fork to lightly beat together the salt and the eggs. carefully pour the egg mixture into the well. using a fork, gently incorporate the flour into the egg mixture, a small amount at a time. with your hands and a spatula or dough scraper, work the dough until it pulls together into a smooth, pliable ball.
• 3 halve the dough, then form each peice into a 1/2inch thick disk. cover the disks with plastc wrap and set them aside to rest at room tempature for 30 minutes.
• 4 lightly flour your work surface and half each dough disk. roll out one of your dough portions as thinly as you can (to about the thickness of a dime), then use a 2 1/2 inch- diameter drinking glass, biscuit cutter, or cookie cutter to cut rounds from the dough. arrange them in pairs. each half disk should yield 7 pairs of dough rounds.
• 5 further thin the dough rounds by pinching them between your thumb and forefinger. each round should increase in diameter by about 1/4 inch.
• 6 use a pair of dough rounds to make each ravioli. with a pastry brush or your fingertips dipped in water, paint a half inch perimeter around one of the dough rounds. spoon a 1/2 tablespoon of squash filling into the center, then press the other round ontop of it along the moistened edges. use the tines of a fork to seal the edges.
• 7 bring two large pots of water to boil (using two pots allows all the pasta to cook at once). meanwhile , make the sauce. melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. add the sage and continue to cook the sauce until it's light brown and has a nutty aroma, about 4 minuts. remove the sauce from the heat.
• 8 line a large plate with paper towels. add half the ravioli to each pot of boiling water. the pasta will float to the top after 2 or 3 minutes, but continue cooking it until tender, about 15 more minutes ( take one out and test its tenderness before draining an entire batch). when the ravioli are done, use a slotted spoon or spatula to scoop them out and transfer them to paper towels to drain.
• 9 to serve, place the ravioli on individual plates and drizzle them with a spoonful of the herbed butter sauce. sprinkle on more parmesan, if you like.