Pumpkin and amaretti ravioli with sage beurre noisette
This stunning autumnal vegetarian ravioli with amaretti biscuits sounds unusual but is very traditional. And delicious!
Ingredients
For the pasta
- 300g/11oz '00' pasta flour, plus extra for dusting
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 free-range eggs
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the pumpkin filling
- 1.7kg/3lb 12oz pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed, cut into chunks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 5 amaretti biscuits, crushed
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp ground ginger
For the sage beurre noisette
Method
For the pasta, blend the flour, salt, freshly ground black pepper, eggs and olive oil in a food processor, pulsing until the dough resembles breadcrumbs.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and pull together into a dough, then knead for five minutes until smooth and elastic.
Place the dough into a bowl, cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Dust a pasta machine with flour. Set the pasta machine to its widest setting, then feed the chilled dough through the machine, turning the handle with one hand and holding the dough as it comes through the machine with the other. Change the setting on the pasta machine to the next-widest setting, flour it again and feed the pasta sheet through the machine again, as before. Repeat this process 3-4 more times, flouring the machine and decreasing the width of the rollers each time.
Place the sheet of pasta dough onto a floured work surface and cut into a 40cm x 6cm (16in x 2in) rectangle. Cut equal-sized squares from the rectangle, about 6cm/2in wide.
For the pumpkin filling, preheat the oven to 210C/410F/Gas 7.
Place the pumpkin chunks into a roasting tin. Drizzle with olive oil and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Roast the pumpkin in the oven for 20 minutes, or until tender.
Remove the roasted pumpkin from the oven and set aside to cool slightly. Transfer the roasted pumpkin pieces to a food processor and blend to a purée.
Transfer the purée to a saucepan and place over a low-medium heat for a few minutes - this will help to remove any excess moisture. Set aside and allow to cool.
When the purée has cooled, stir in the crushed amaretti biscuits, lemon juice and ground ginger and add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Place one teaspoonful of the mixture in the centre of each pasta square. Brush the edges of the pasta square with a little water.
Place another pasta square over the top of the filled pasta square and press down gently around the filling, pressing out any air bubbles. Press the edges flat to seal and trim off any overlap.
Repeat the process with the remaining pasta squares and filling. Place the ravioli onto the lined baking tray until you're ready to cook them.
For the sage beurre noisette, heat a non-reactive frying pan until hot, add the butter and heat until it turns a nut-brown colour.
Add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper and then remove from the heat.
Heat a separate frying pan until hot, add a little olive oil and the diced pumpkin and fry over a medium heat until golden-brown and just tender.
Add the pine nuts and fry for another more minute, or until just browned. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat 1cm/½in of vegetable oil in a frying pan until just shimmering, then add the sage leaves and fry for 20 seconds, or until just browned.
Remove the sage leaves using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
To cook the ravioli, place them, a few at a time, into a large saucepan of salted, boiling water and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until they float back to the surface. Drain.
To serve, toss the drained ravioli gently with the beurre noisette. Place five ravioli onto each plate, then spoon over the beurre noisette and a few sage leaves. Top with the fried pumpkin, pine nuts and some grated parmesan.
