Homemade butternut squash ravioli with brown butter and sage

Photo: The Clever Carrot

The weekend project. Fresh egg pasta, a filling of whole-roasted squash with butter and nutmeg, and a brown butter sauce with sage and crisp pancetta. Worth every minute.

From Emilie Raffa at The Clever Carrot · @theclevercarrot

Roasting the squash whole, without peeling or cutting it, concentrates it into a thick filling that won't make the pasta soggy.

You need

• For the pasta: 300 g (about 2⅓ cups) tipo 00 flour, 3 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, a drizzle of olive oil, semolina for dusting
• For the filling: 1 butternut squash (about 2 lb), roasted whole; 400 g (about 1¾ cups) of its flesh, 42 g (3 tbsp) salted butter, a generous pinch of nutmeg, salt
• For the sauce: 115 g (8 tbsp) salted butter, 8 fresh sage leaves, 113 g (4 oz) cubed pancetta
• Parmesan, to serve
• You'll need: a pasta machine (or stand-mixer roller), parchment, a sheet pan, a fluted cutter or sharp knife

How to make it

1. Roast the squash: heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Prick the whole squash all over with a knife, set it on a lined sheet pan and roast 60 to 75 minutes, until a knife slides into the neck with no resistance. Let it cool, then halve it, scoop out the seeds and scrape out the flesh.
2. Make the dough while the squash roasts: mound the flour on a board or in a bowl, make a well, add the eggs, the yolk and a drizzle of oil. Beat with a fork, slowly pulling in flour, then knead by hand for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and springy. Wrap and rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
3. Make the filling: mash 400 g of the roasted squash with the 3 tablespoons butter, the nutmeg and a pinch of salt until smooth. Taste: it should be well seasoned. If it looks wet, cook it in a pan for a few minutes, stirring, to dry it out. Let it cool.
4. Roll the pasta: cut the dough into quarters (keep the rest wrapped). Flatten one, run it through the widest setting twice, folding it in thirds between passes, then roll it thinner one setting at a time to the second-thinnest setting, until you can almost see your hand through it.
5. Lay a sheet on a semolina-dusted board. Spoon 1-teaspoon mounds of filling along it, 1½ inches apart. Brush around each mound with a little water, lay a second sheet on top and press down around each mound, pushing out the air. Cut into squares with the fluted cutter and set on a semolina-dusted, parchment-lined pan. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
6. Make the sauce: cook the pancetta in a large skillet over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes until crisp; lift it out. Add the 8 tablespoons butter and cook, swirling, until it foams and smells nutty and the flecks at the bottom turn brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sage leaves for 30 seconds, until crisp. Turn off the heat.
7. Cook the ravioli in a big pot of well-salted, gently boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes, until they float and the edges are tender. Lift them straight into the brown butter with a slotted spoon, add a splash of pasta water and the pancetta, and swirl gently. Serve with Parmesan.

Written in our own words from Emilie Raffa's recipe, with their quantities. The original: Homemade butternut squash ravioli with brown butter and sage, The Clever Carrot.

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