With Christmas only a few weeks away, it is time to start planning on what recipes will be a part of the dinner. Make this winter time dinner favorite for a delicious Holiday side dish. The ravioli’s can be made in advance and kept frozen until the special day. At that point, all that has to be made is the sage brown butter sauce, turning this holiday side into a quick 5 minute meal.
Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter
serves 4
Fresh Butternut Squash Ravioli
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 egg & 2 egg yolks
5-6 tablespoons butternut squash puree (from 1 medium butternut squash, roasted)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper
1-2 tablespoons water
Ravioli Filling
12 ounces Italian sausage, removed from casing
1 cup fresh ricotta, drained
1 egg, beaten
Sage Browned Butter Sauce
4 ounces unsalted butter
3-4 sage leaves
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel, remove seeds and cut squash into 1-inch chunks. Place the squash on a baking sheet and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Roast the squash for 30 minutes, flipping once. Remove, and let cool.
Once the squash has slightly cooled, place in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.
In the bowl of your food processor or standing electric mixer, pulse flour and ¼ teaspoon sea salt until combined. Add in 1 whole egg, 2 egg yolks and butternut squash puree. Mix together. While the machine is running, slowly begin adding water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough forms.
On a lightly floured surface, sprinkle dough with additional flour, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, begin making your filling.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the meat thoroughly. Once the sausage is browned, remove from the heat and place in a medium bowl. Allow to cool and then add the ricotta. Mix together.
Working on your floured surface, cut the dough in half. Begin rolling out half of the dough into a square until it is thin. Cut your rolled-out pasta into two-inch wide strips using a sharp knife or pastry wheel. Brush the strips with beaten egg. Drop the filling at 1-inch intervals along the strips, about 1 tablespoon of filling per ravioli. Cover the ravioli with another strip of dough. Press down firmly around each filling to seal the edges. Cut each ravioli from the strip. Continue with the other half of the dough.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the butter has melted and begins to foam, drop in the sage leaves. Continue stirring as the butter begins to turn golden. Once the bottom turns amber, remove from the stove and set aside.
Drop the ravioli’s into the boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes. Drain and place in a serving bowl. Remove sage from the brown butter and pour over ravioli’s. Serve with parmesan cheese or pecorino romano.
