Pasta Dough
- Put the flour into a mixing bowl and make a depression in the middle.
- Break the eggs into the middle of the flour and beat with a spoon, allowing a little flour to be incorporated.
- Continue stirring the eggs as the flour mixes in, eventually forming a dough.
- Gather the dough together and knead it for 100 presses to make a smooth ball of dough, adding a little flour only if needed.
- Cover and leave the dough to rest for 15 minutes.
Ravioli Made Using a Rolling Pin
- Sprinkle flour over the table and rolling pin.
- Cut the pasta into eight pieces and roll each piece into a rectangle, turning it over regularly and dusting lightly with flour.
- Cut the dough sheets into 4x10cm/1½x4” rectangles
- Repeat with all the pieces of dough.
Ravioli Made Using a Pasta Machine
- Dust the pasta machine and the table liberally with flour.
- Cut the dough in half.
- Flatten each piece of dough and pass it through the widest, flat roller of a pasta machine to make a rectangle.
- Fold the rectangle in half to make a smaller rectangle and pass it through the roller again. Fold the sheet in half and pass it through the roller two more times, always aiming for rectangles.
- Lay the pasta on the table and cut each piece into 4 small rectangular pieces.
- Decrease the roller width 3 or 4 notches and pass each rectangle through a couple of times, to make longer rectangles. If the dough seems sticky, dust it with flour and lay the rectangles on a floured table.
- Reduce the roller width again and roll each pasta sheet into a thinner rectangle.
- Lay the pasta on a flour-dusted surface and cut the dough into 4x10cm/1½x4” rectangles.
Filling
- Pre-heat the oven.
- Chop the pumpkin into small dice, put in a lightly oiled oven tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until soft.
- Remove the pumpkin from the oven, tip into a mixing bowl and leave to cool.
- Spread the pine nuts out on the baking tray and bake in the oven until toasted, which will take about 4 minutes. Add them to the mixing bowl.
- Finely dice the onion into an oiled frying pan, add the garlic and fry gently until translucent and soft. Add these to the bowl.
- Add the grated parmesan, salt, and pepper to the mixing bowl and stir until all ingredients are combined.
- Divide the mixture between the centre of each scored square.
- Brush water along the scored lines.
- Lift the reserved dough rectangle onto the pasta and filling.
- Press the two rectangles together in all the rows around the filling, excluding any air.
- Cut the pasta into squares around each filling.
- Separate the squares, pressing around each lump of filling and crimp around outer edges with a fork to ensure everything is well contained.
- Dust the squares with flour, to prevent stickiness, and spread them to dry for an hour or until required.
To Cook and Serve Pumpkin and Pinenut Ravioli
- Put the water and salt into a large saucepan and bring it to a rolling boil.
- Add the pasta and stir to ensure it is free flowing in the water.
- Cook for 7-15 minutes, depending upon the size and thickness of the pasta.
- To test if the pasta is cooked, carefully remove a piece of ravioli from the pan, cut the pasta with the side of a fork and if the pasta resists, continue to cooking, repeating the fork test every minute.
- When cooked drain the ravioli and return it to the cooking pan.
- Add the melted butter and olive oil, stir and serve immediately.
- Garnish with fresh sage leaves and a bowl of grated parmesan.
Large oven dish, rolling pin, pastry brush, large 2lt saucepan, frying pan and mixing bowl
220˚C, Fan 200˚C, 425˚F, Gas 7