Ravioli di Zucca

It's sometimes difficult to know what to do with pumpkin. I don't think you can beat wrapping it in pasta and smothering it in a creamy buttery sauce. Delicious!

Ingredients

for the pasta

2oog ‘OO’ flour

2 eggs

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp water

pinch of salt

for the filling

500g Pumpkin peeled, seeded and chopped

200g Vegetarian Italian Hard Cheese, freshly grated plus extra to serve

2 Eggs, lightly beaten

80g - 120g Breadcrumbs

6 sage leaves, finely chopped

for the sauce

3 tbsp olive oil

30g butter

1 small onion

1 celery stick

1 small carrot

1 garlic clove large

30g plain flour

15ml tomato puree

60ml brandy

300ml good veg stock 

600ml double cream

salt

ground black pepper

Method

Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a mound on a work surface. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs. Using your fingers gradually incorporate the flour, then knead for about 10 minutes. If the mixture is too soft, add a little extra flour; if it is too firm, add a little water. 

Shape the dough into a ball and leave to rest for 15 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 180C. Put the pumpkin in a roasting tin, drizzle with the olive oil, cover with foil and bake for about an hour.

Pass the pumpkin through a food mill into a bowl, add the Italian hard cheese, sage and the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Stir in enough breadcrumbs to make a fairly firm mixture.  (Traditionally broken amaretto biscuits are added but I'm not a big fan of the flavour)

For the sauce, heat the oil in a heavy based pan, add the butter and heat until melted. Stir in the onion, celery, carrot and garlic, cook over a low heat for 10 minutes until soft. Add the flour and tomato puree and cook, stirring well, for a further 5 minutes.

Put the brandy in a large metal ladle or a small pan and ignite, then pour over the vegetables. Once the flames die down, stir in the stock and cream. Cook over a low heat for 20 minutes until reduced to a coating consistency. Pass through a fine sieve and return it to a clean pan. Season to taste and set aside.

Fill the ravioli while the sauce is cooking. Roll out pasta on a lightly floured surface then use a pasta machine to make a thin sheet. (As thin as you dare!) Stamp out approx. 7.5cm rounds with a pastry cutter. Spoon a little of the pumpkin filling into the centre of each round and top with another round of pasta.  Make sure there are no air pockets in the parcels. Crimp with a fork to seal.

Bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the ravioli in batches. Once the ravioli rise to the surface, cook for 1 minute more, drain and place in the pan of sauce. Shake the pan gently to coat the ravioli with the sauce, sprinkle with a few shredded sage leaves and serve immediately.

Alternatively simply serve with just melted butter and torn sage leaves.