With cool mornings actually giving some semblance fall is upon us, it is officially time to update the recipe drawer to reflect new seasonal offerings. When I think autumn, any dish involving butternut squash immediately springs to mind. From soups to desserts, this versatile fruit adds a natural richness from its sweet, nutty flavor and thick texture without much effort in the kitchen.

One of the most classic preparations of butternut squash is in ravioli topped with a sage brown butter sauce. Inspired by an order of ghost pumpkin ravioli during a visit to Houston’s Glass Wall Restaurant, I hoped to recreate a similar version using butternut squash. In order to update this classic fall dish, I made a few changes to the traditional filling and sauce, noted below.  More details [expand title= here]

For lack of time and equipment, I did not make my pasta from scratch. Many recipes suggest using wonton recipes, which I have used before, but always feel as if something is missing. I picked up fresh lasagna sheets and used those instead. They did seem to hold up better when cooked, but wontons still are a suitable and budget friendly substitute. The filling was a blend of roasted butternut squash, fresh herbs and spices, onions, garlic and burrata cheese. A tip read a few years back in Saveur Magazine suggested using roasted sage leaf wrapped garlic cloves to the filling for a more robust flavor. Burrata is not traditionally used, but its subtle creamy flavor worked well.

The Glass Wall’s ravioli was excellent, but a candied pumpkin seed topping made it magnificent. While their ravioli came floating in a bowl of pumpkin seed oil, I opted to toast mine stovetop and toss with a less rich sauce butter, caper, and sage sauce. The capers added acidity sometimes needed against the sweet pasta filling. Playing on my inspiration, I toasted pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds) with a bit of grapeseed oil, salt and pumpkin pie spice before tossing with grated lemon zest. The pepitas added an extra ‘oomph’ to the dish, but alas still not as special as the Glass Wall’s version.  

This classic dish uses simple ingredients leave for a bit of creativity. Great budget-friendly entertaining recipe! [/expand]

 Recipe after the jump! Served with roasted Brussels Sprouts, recipe here.

Continue reading Recipe File: Butternut Squash Ravioli