Entrees » Pumpkin Ravioli
We have found musicians to be adventurous cooks. Trumpet performance grad student Allen Chen makes pasta from scratch with a sugar pumpkin and gingersnap cookie filling. Saffron keeps the pasta color vibrant and the dish is finished with warm sage-butter. Aromatic, creamy and delicious, it seriously melts in your mouth. Bravo, Allen!
Ingredients
Filling
- 2 lbs sugar pumpkin, peeled, seeded & cubed
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 medium gingersnap cookies (or 6 small), crushed
Pasta Dough
- 1 tbsp boiling water
- pinch of saffron threads
- 1¼ cups (7oz) semolina flour
- 2 eggs
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp salt for cooking water
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp water
Sage Butter
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- stems of 3 sage sprigs
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 3 sliced sage leaves
Garnish
- Parmesan shavings
- crushed gingersnap cookies
Equipment
- fine mesh strainer
- food processor
- pasta maker
- pastry brush
- fluted pastry wheel or pizza cutter
How-to
Roast & Drain Pumpkin
- Preheat the oven to 350°
- Seed and peel the pumpkin and chop into 1” cubes
- Mix pumpkin cubes with 1 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper and spread on a large baking sheet. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for up to 1 hour or until soft and tender
- Allow the pumpkin to cool for a few minutes, then purée in a food processor until smooth
- To drain excess moisture from the puréed pumpkin, place the pumpkin in a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl and allow to drain into the bowl overnight in the refrigerator
Make Pasta Dough
- Mix saffron with boiling water and allow to steep for a few minutes as it cools
- Place the semolina onto a clean counter and create a well in the center
- Thoroughly beat the eggs and place in the middle of the well along with 4-5 drops of the saffron water and a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp olive oil
- Using your fingers, slowly mix the flour into the egg mixture by flicking inwards from the walls of the well. As soon as the dough comes together, knead until smooth and flexible but not sticky, about 7-10 minutes
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes
Make Filling
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil on medium heat, add shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes or until softened
- In a bowl, mix pumpkin purée, breadcrumbs, crushed gingersnap cookies, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and shallots
Fill & Cook Ravioli
- Take a piece of dough about the size of a kiwi fruit, keeping the remainder wrapped until ready to roll
- Flatten the dough and add to a pasta maker, set at the widest setting. Feed the dough through 6-8 times, reducing the thickness each time, until a long sheet is formed
- Flour a work surface, and lay dough down. Cut in half into 2 equal pieces (one will be the bottom and one the top of the ravioli)
- Place ½ tsp of filling 1" apart in a grid on the first sheet of dough and brush the outer edges and in between the fillings with egg wash. Carefully place the other sheet of pasta on top and press down the edges and in between the filling to seal in the filling and form the ravioli
- Use a fluted pastry wheel or pizza cutter to cut out the ravioli. Repeat the process with remaining dough and filling
- If cooking immediately, prepare a pot of boiling, salted water. Cook ravioli for 2 minutes. Or freeze on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and covered with plastic wrap. Ravioli can be boiled directly from the freezer when ready to use
Make Sage Butter
- Remove sage leaves from the stems and set leaves aside
- Melt butter in a sauté pan over low heat. Add sage stems and cook until butter turns brown (being careful not to burn the butter). Remove from heat and let stand for 1 minute, then strain through a sieve, discarding sage stems
- Put brown butter back in the pan, stir in the cream on low heat, add sliced sage leaves and the cooked ravioli and stir to combine
- Plate and garnish with crushed gingersnap cookies and Parmesan shavings
Allen Chen
Allen Chen studies trumpet as a graduate student at the New England Conservatory of Music.
Originally from Northbrook, IL, a suburb north of Chicago, he absolutely LOVES the food traditions in Chicago. Deep-dish pizza and Italian Beef Sandwiches are a great way to get on his good side! His favorite cuisines are Italian and Japanese, and he would love to learn more about both. Food has always been important to Allen and his family. His grandparents on my mother's side owned a restaurant in Korea after they emigrated there from China. Many Chinese food traditions were practiced in his home including eating dumplings on Chinese New Year, Moon-cakes during the Moon Festival, and noodles on birthdays (that represent longevity). His father is from Taiwan, and they too have a very rich food tradition. And his fond memories include the fact that his grandmother always insisted that they devour the pounds and pounds of food she made!
We have found musicians to be adventurous cooks. Trumpet performance grad student Allen Chen makes pasta from scratch with a sugar pumpkin and gingersnap cookie filling. Saffron keeps the pasta color vibrant and the dish is finished with warm sage-butter. Aromatic, creamy and delicious, it seriously melts in your mouth. Bravo, Allen!
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