Ingredients
- 1 small pumpkin, or butternut or acorn squash (about 1 pound)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 recipe Basic Pasta Dough, recipe follows
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- 1 large amaretti cookie, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds, drizzle with olive oil, and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 25 to 35 minutes or until the squash is very soft. Remove from the oven, let cool, then scoop out the flesh from the skin.
In a large bowl, combine the cooled pumpkin, cheese, nutmeg, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
Roll out the pasta dough to the thinnest setting on a pasta machine. Using a biscuit cutter or water glass, cut out 2-inch circles. Pipe or carefully spoon a scant teaspoon of filling onto the center of half of the rounds and cover the filling with the second pasta round. Press the edges together firmly to seal.
Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Drop the lune in the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a 12 to 14-inch saute pan until it foams and subsides. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to the butter and whisk to emulsify. Drain the pasta and add it to the butter. Add the sage leaves and toss gently for 1 minute over medium heat to coat the pasta with sauce. Divide the lune among 4 warmed plates, grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano and amaretti over each plate, and serve immediately.
Basic Pasta Dough:
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 extra-large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Mound 3 1/2 cups of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs and the olive oil. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and oil and begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well.
As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up from the base of the mound to retain the well shape. The dough will come together when half of the flour is incorporated.
Start kneading the dough with both hands, using the palms of your hands. Once you have a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up and discard any leftover bits. Lightly re-flour the board and continue kneading for six more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Roll or shape as desired.
Amaretti:
- 1 1/4 cups whole blanched almonds
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 egg whites
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon amaretto
- 1/2 cup turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Place the almonds, cornstarch, and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the almonds are very finely chopped. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and add the salt. Using the whip attachment on medium speed, beat the whites until foamy and light. Gradually add the granulated sugar in a steady stream, continuing to beat until the egg whites are somewhat stiff and glossy. Beat in the almond extract and amaretto.
Pipe or drop about 2 tablespoons batter (how much) onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle a little turbinado sugar on top of each cookie. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cookies have begun to turn pale golden and are just beginning to crack slightly. Lower the oven temperature to 200 degrees F, and leave the oven door ajar to release some of the heat. Leave the cookies in the oven for at least 25 to 30 minutes, or until they are completely dry and crisp in the center. Allow the cookies to cool briefly on the baking sheets, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Yield: about 30 cookies
















Review This Recipe
You must be signed in to review this recipe.
or Register to Review
Newest Ratings and Reviews
Read all 5 reviews
By Litedp
New York, NY
on January 04, 2012
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
So, so , so very good. I really let the sage cook in the butter for little bit. Was amazed how much flavor the sage added. Also, the squash takes closer to 1 hour to get soft enough. A fantastic dish. It is now one of my favorites.
By practical_godde...
Helena, 66
on November 01, 2011
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
A very lovely dish for which I have nothing but praises with a few tips to ease you labors
.
1. Homemade pasta is wonderful but unless you own a pasta roller to roll your pasta paper thin do yourself a favor and buy pasta sheets at the store.
2. If you cook your own pumpkin be sure you are roasting the right kind. A pie pumpkin such as Sugar Baby which is hard, dense and starchy is appropriate. However carving pumpkins which are large and cheap consist mostly water and you will find that you have rather tasteless pumpkin puree. If you need go with canned then you will want around 2 cups of puree or 1 1/2 15 oz cans.
3. The Amaretti gives this dish a finishing touch that just shouldn't be denied. But to make your life a little easier (not to mention save yourself some serious angst buy blanched almond flour/meal instead of making your own. Also if you do not have Amaretto you can substitute with 2 tsp. of pure almond extract and 1 tsp. cherry flavoring.
Happy cooking ! :
By junk_9481290
baton rouge, LA
on July 19, 2010
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
This ravioli is quickly becoming one of my family's new favorites. We've made it three times and really love it, even my three-year-old picky eater (it helps if you make up a song about pumpkin ravioli to get them to try it.... I've never had much luck with homemade pasta, so I use store-bought wonton skins cut into circles, and they work well, though I imagine they're thinner than homemade pasta. The first time I made it and tasted the filling, I thought I had messed it up because the balsamic flavor was so strong, but it's very balanced in the final dish. The sage leaves and ravioli fry gently in the butter sauce and have a lovely texture, and the whole combination of flavors is so unique. (I've never managed to make it with the amaretti cookies Mario calls for, but so far I haven't missed them yet-- the dish is great without them. FYI, I had some filling left over the first time I made it, but the filling froze well, which has made it easier to recreate the dish without all of that prep work.
Read all 5 reviews