Eat Your Halloween Decorations: Winter Squash Ravioli

By Jeni Hill
Foods Editor

During the fall, mushy summer squash makes room for their sturdier winter counterparts. Butternut, acorn, spaghetti squash and even your child’s Halloween pumpkin are commonplace at farmers markets and grocery stores. If you are feeling especially deviant, you could literally transform your family’s grinning pumpkins into pie or a lovely soufflé.

Despite my inevitable dread of winter, I perk at the sight of creamy squash soups and squash-filled ravioli on fall menus. I made a classic pumpkin-spiced ravioli topped with a browned butter and sage sauce, and a spicier variation seasoned with chipotle pepper and cilantro.

Making ravioli can be a time-consuming and delicate process, even when using wonton wrappers, but the filling can be pre-made or frozen for later use. Friends and family can expedite the process by assembling ravioli. If you are feeling ambitious, by all means make your own pasta dough. I was satisfied with the wonton wrappers available at most supermarkets and Asian markets. Refrigerated varieties can be found in the produce section.

Most winter squashes make an excellent filling, and half a squash will probably fill only one package of wrappers. Enjoy excess roasted squash topped with melted butter and brown sugar, or sautéed in a pan with salt and pepper alongside toast and a runny egg.

To season the filling, begin with one-two pinches or sprinkles (or 1/8 teaspoon) of each spice and taste throughout the process. Even if your ravioli fuse together or you accidentally add an extra pinch of cinnamon, the ravioli will still taste wonderful and you can always adjust your seasonings. 

Ingredients:
1 winter squash (I used butternut)
Oil
Salt
Black pepper
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
White pepper
Ricotta cheese
1 package of wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten (to seal edges of the ravioli)
1 stick of butter
Fresh sage, either chopped or left whole
Grated Parmesan
Lemon

To make the filling:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a sheet tray with foil.

Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds with a spoon.  Coat with oil, salt, and pepper and lay on the sheet tray.  Bake until tender, flipping occasionally.  My butternut squash took about an hour while an acorn squash roasted much longer.

Scoop the squash from its skin and place in a bowl.  Add approximately 1/8 teaspoon each of white pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon.  Add about a teaspoon of honey.  Taste and add salt, or more spices or honey as needed.  Incorporate approximately 1/3 cup of ricotta.  Again, taste and season.

Ravioli:
If using frozen wonton wrappers, thaw before using.  Beat one egg and set aside. Boil a pot of salted water.

Place about a spoonful of filling on each wrapper without overfilling.  Using your finger, rub the egg wash on each edge of the wrapper.  Place a second wrapper on top and gently press to flatten and seal the edges.  Seal each edge with a fork.

Place the filled raviolis on a dry surface.  Cover with a damp towel.

Melt the butter in a pan over gentle heat.  When foamy, add shallot and sage.  Cook until the butter browns and add salt as needed.  If your sage or butter seem like it might burn, remove from burner or reduce heat.

Place the ravioli in the boiling water and gently stir.  When they float, remove, and place on oiled trays or directly into the browned butter. Remove the ravioli quickly for al dente pasta.  Cooked ravioli will stick together if they overlap and cool.

Toss ravioli with the browned butter, or spoon on top of the pasta.  Garnish with black pepper, sea salt, and parmesan.

Serves three-four.

Spicy version:
Add minced chipotle in adobo sauce to the squash mixture above.  This canned chili is widely available at grocery stores.  Chipotle is spicy, so gradually add the chili and its sauce to taste.  Fill and boil as above.

Instead of using sage in the browned butter sauce, add a handful of chopped cilantro and shallot to the butter when it’s foaming and beginning to brown.  Sprinkle with sea salt and garnish with fresh limejuice.

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[Editor’s Note: Jeni Hill is an herbalist and food blogger. She has apprenticed for 
Registered Herbalist Lise Wolff and participated in a summer internship at Spoonriver. For More on Jeni Hill visit ]]http://herbalisteats.blogspot.com]