Ready, set...create! Okay, I didn't go shopping, I didn't have a plan, but I went into my kitchen tonight to prepare something delicious! What I created was a lovely ravioli, filled with acorn squash, onion, bacon and sage. As a sauce, I made a lemon-artichoke pesto sauce, and topped it all off with a savory artichoke and tomato salad for a bit of brightness and color. This one's goin' into the book!
I took ideas from a bunch of different recipes to pull this one together, and the flavors were really spot on! My first goal was to get the pasta dough made, since I would need to let it sit for 30 minutes. I used my favorite recipe for pasta dough, from Stir by Barbara Lynch
. All it requires is 2 cups of flour (I use the Perfect Pasta blend, from King Arthur Flour), 2 large eggs, 4 large egg yolks and a teaspoon of kosher salt. Once that was made, and resting, I cut up another one of my acorn squash, and set it to boil on the stove in some water.
. All it requires is 2 cups of flour (I use the Perfect Pasta blend, from King Arthur Flour), 2 large eggs, 4 large egg yolks and a teaspoon of kosher salt. Once that was made, and resting, I cut up another one of my acorn squash, and set it to boil on the stove in some water.
Once the squash was cooked, I pureed it in my food processor, and then poured the puree into a bowl with softened onions, bacon and sage, seasoned with some salt and pepper, and...Voila, our ravioli filling is done!
While these things were cooking and resting, I also prepared my pesto. I had some marinated artichoke hearts from the antipasto bar at Whole Foods, as well as some Parmesan, pine nuts, and lemon. I also used the oil that the artichokes were marinating in to emulsify the mixture. What I got was a bright, tasty pesto sauce with no basil whatsoever! Now that's what I call imagination!
As I rolled out my pasta dough, I made my raviolis by scooping a bit of "stuffing" onto each strip of dough, and folding it over. I have this amazing Ravioli Stamp
that made the job much easier too! It definitely took less time than I thought it would, and fresh pasta dough is better than wonton wrappers any day! (However, in a pinch, wonton wrappers work well for quick ravioli.)
that made the job much easier too! It definitely took less time than I thought it would, and fresh pasta dough is better than wonton wrappers any day! (However, in a pinch, wonton wrappers work well for quick ravioli.)
Do you see those little red dots? Each ravioli is brushed with a bit of egg yolk mixed with paprika, as well. Once I cooked the ravioli, and drained it, I added them back to the pot and tossed them with the Lemon-Artichoke pesto. I topped the dish with some extra artichokes and Kumato tomato for color and freshness.
This was a really heartwarming meal full of delicate flavors that melded together nicely for a very hearty dish! I'm keeping this one in my back pocket, for sure!
