Pumpkin Sage Ravioli with Creamy Onion Sauce

Another fun fall recipe and this is a K2 original.  Haven't made homemade pasta in a while and since I'm on a fall squash kick, wanted to combine the two.  Not the most attractive photo, I will admit, but the flavors in this dish more than make up for its lack of photogenicness. Don't know if that's really a word but I am deeming it one now.

Pumpkin Sage Ravioli with Creamy Onion Sauce

sage ravioli
2 cups semolina
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 pinch of salt
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tsp fresh sage, minced

pumpkin filling
4 oz pumpkin puree
4 oz ricotta cheese
1 tbsp toasted pinenut
1/16 tsp allspice
salt and pepper to taste

creamy onion sauce
2 small onions, finely sliced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup half-n-half  plus some for thinning if needed
1 tbsp cornstarch

PASTA -- Mix together the semolina, flour, and salt in a large bowl.  Create a well in the middle and add the eggs and oil.

Blend with a fork until it starts to come together. 

Turn out mixture onto a semolina-dusted surface and knead 8-10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastically supple.

Fold in the minced sage, and continue to knead for another 2 minutes until the sage is well incorporated.

Cover dough and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

SAUCE -- In a large sauce pan, heat butter and olive oil over medium high heat.  Add in onion slices.

Cook, stirring occasionally, for 45-50 minutes until onions are browned.

Add in 1 cup of half-n-half and stir well.

To thicken the sauce, whisk together 1 tbsp cornstarch and 1 tbsp half-n-half in a small bowl.  Bring sauce in pan to a low boil, and stir in cornstarch mix.  Stir while it thickens.  Remove from heat and set aside.  It will thicken even more as it stands.  If you want a thinner sauce, add more half-n-half to it.

FILLING -- In a small pan, toast the pine nuts over medium heat.  Heat until you can smell the aroma of the nuts.  Remove and allow to cool.  Rough chop the nuts.

In a medium bowl, mix pumpkin puree, ricotta, nuts, nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Roll out the pasta dough using a pasta machine or just a rolling pin. You want the pasta to be thin, about 1/8" thick.

Cut into squares, will need two squares per ravioli.  Fill one square with a tsp of the filling. 

Brush the edges of the bottom square with water and cover with the top square and press down on the edges. A fork works really well for this.

 

TO COOK -- Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Pour in a bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt.  Place the filled ravioli in the boiling water and cook for 8-9 minutes until done.

Drain and serve.  Cover with sauce and garnish with toasted pine nuts and sage.

NOTES

The sauce itself is a stand-alone hit and would go great with chicken or beef.  It would also make a nice base for stroganoff.

I didn't roll my pasta thin enough and it was a bit doughier than I usually care for, but it certainly didn't stop me from eating it.  The sage in the pasta is subtle, but makes a nice complement to the slightly sweet taste of the pumpkin filling.

You can use canned pumpkin for this recipe, but if you are feeling ambitious like I was, you can roast your own pumpkin to make it.

ROASTING PUMPKINS -- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Slice pie pumpkin into quarters and place face down in a baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 1-1/2 hours.

Remove from oven and allow to cool, 20-30 minutes. Scrape out the seeds and stringy stuff (yes, that's an official culinary term).

Scoop out pumpkin flesh and puree in a food processor or squish with a potato masher.