Squash (or pumpkin) Ravioli

Well this week has been a week of fun with the pasta machine, and just how versatile is a pasta machine?

Well, let me tell you. We’ll start with pasta…

Ravioli with butternut squash filling (or you could use pumpkin)

Ok firstly, for those of you who fancy making pasta, it is dead easy, like so easy it’s almost disappointing. You don’t even need a pasta machine to roll it; you could do it with a normal rolling pin. However, a pasta machine just makes life a little easier.

So what do you need?

Ingredients for pasta (serves 2)

• 100 grams pasta flour
• 1 egg
• salt & pepper to taste

Yup it’s that simple, just mix it together to form a ball of dough, wrap it in cling-film and then leave it in the fridge for half an hour. Then roll it out as thin as you can.

Ingredients for the butternut squash filling

• 200 grams butternut squash (you could use pumpkin)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 small red onion
• 20 grams manchego cheese (or your choice maybe pecorino)
• pinch nutmeg
• salt & pepper

Ok, here’s what we did.

Cut the squash into chunks of about an inch and then toss in a bowl with the oil and salt and pepper to get them all coated. Then roast them on an oven tray at about 180/200 for fan, for 25 mins.

After the 25 min mark, scatter the thinly sliced onion over the top and roast for another 10 mins before putting aside to cool before blitzing it in the food processor and adding the cheese and nutmeg to make a thick orange puree. Easy peezy!

Ok now for the fun, making up the ravioli.

Ok once the dough has been sitting for half an hour, it will be ready to roll. Whether you use a pasta machine or a rolling pin, the idea is to get two, long strips of pasta dough as thin as you possibly can. Take your time over this as the pasta being too thick can ruin your dish, you want THIN!

Did I emphasise that enough?

Ok so you should end up with two long strips of pasta, about the width of your pasta machine or rolling pin. About two raviolis size.
Now is the time to decide how big your pasta is going to be so that you can work out how far apart to put your filling before laying the other strip on top to make the little parcels of nom.

Now start spooning a little filling onto one of the strips, don’t put too much on there, about a teaspoon full does.

Once you have your filling spooned onto the pasta, the actual work begins Use a little water to go around the edges of the pasta (filling) to help it all stick together. Then carefully lay your second strip on top of the first.

You need to go around each little lump of filling and carefully press down the pasta making sure to get all the air out and seal the two pieces together. It’s worth taking your time here because you don’t want pasta filling leaking out. That would be a horrible waste.

Then once you are happy, use a knife of a cutter and cut out your little parcels of pasta. Tah Dah! Dead easy.

To cook, just get some salted water boiling and cook them for about 2 or 3 minutes and then add the sauce of your choice.