Pasta Flour Squash or Pumpkin and Pine Nut Ravioli

Squash or Pumpkin and Pine Nut Filling

1. Pre-heat the oven.
2. Grate the pumpkin or butternut squash, put it on a lightly oiled oven tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until soft.
3. Remove the pumpkin or squash from the oven, tip into a mixing bowl and leave to cool.
4. Spread the pine nuts out on the baking tray and bake in the oven until golden and fragrant.
5. Add the pine nuts to the mixing bowl.
6. Finely dice the onion into an oiled frying pan, add the garlic and fry gently until translucent and soft. Add these to the bowl.
7. Add the grated parmesan, salt and pepper to the mixing bowl and stir until all ingredients are combined.

Pasta Dough

1. Put the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
2. Make a depression in the middle of the flour.
3. Break the eggs into the middle and beat them, allowing a little flour to be incorporated each time you stir.
4. Continue stirring the eggs as the flour mixes in, eventually forming a dough.
5. Gather the dough together and knead it for 100 presses to make a smooth ball of dough, adding a little flour only if needed.
6. Cover and leave the dough to rest for 15 minutes.

Ravioli Pasta Using a Rolling Pin

1. Sprinkle flour over the table and rolling pin.
2. Cut the pasta into eight pieces.
3. Roll each piece of dough into a rectangle, turning it over regularly and dusting lightly with flour.
4. Continue rolling the dough until it is 1mm/1/32” thick.
5. Cut the dough sheets into 4 x 10cm/1½ x 4” rectangles and dust lightly with flour to stop them sticking.
6. Repeat with all the pieces of dough.

Ravioli Pasta Using a Pasta Machine

1. Dust the pasta machine and the table liberally with flour.
2. Cut the dough into 8 pieces.
3. Flatten each piece of dough and pass it through the widest, flat roller of a pasta machine to make a rectangle.
4. Fold the rectangle in half to make a smaller rectangle and pass it through the roller two more times.
5. 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.
6. Continue reducing the roller width until the pasta sheet is 1mm/1/32” thick.
7. Cut the dough into 4 x 10cm/1½ x 4” rectangles and dust lightly with flour to stop it sticking.
8. Repeat with all the pieces of dough.

To Fill Pumpkin and Pine Nut Ravioli

1. Dust a large chopping board or tray with flour.
2. Brush a little water around the edges of the small pasta rectangles.
3. Transfer the rectangles to the flour dusted tray.
4. Put a small teaspoonful of pumpkin and pine nut filling in the middle of each rectangle.
5. Lift one side of the rectangle over its filling, pressing around the filling to exclude air and joining the pasta at the edges.
6. Using the back of a fork, press around the ravioli edges to ensure they are sealed.
7. Lightly dust the ravioli with flour.
8. Leave the ravioli to dry for 1 hour and chill for up to 24 hours.

To Cook and Serve Pumpkin and Pine Nut Ravioli

1. Put the water and salt into a large 2lt saucepan and bring it to a rolling boil.
2. Add the ravioli and stir to ensure it is free flowing in the water.
3. Cook for 7-15 minutes, depending upon the size and thickness of the ravioli.
4. Warm the serving dish.
5. To test if the ravioli is cooked, carefully remove a piece from the pan, cut the pasta with the side of a fork and if the pasta resists, continue to cook, repeating the fork test every minute.
6. When cooked, drain the ravioli, stir gently and tip into the warm serving dish.
7. Add the butter and olive oil, stir and serve immediately.
8. Finely chop the sage leaves and scatter them over the ravioli.
9. Serve immediately accompanied by a bowl of grated parmesan.