November 29, 2009

Pumpkin Ravioli

Continuing on the pumpkin theme (which might have gone a little too far with this one)...
Pumpkin Ravioli!

Okay, the Ravioli seemed a little iffy. And why is it red? There were two options on the AllRecipes website and the one I chose (Amy is taking full responsibility for this) said upfront that it had an "unusual taste."

There was a lot of hype leading up to it... I said I was going to make it on a Wednesday, but then not all the ingredients were on-hand. I had to work Thursday. Friday I tried to squeeze it in before jetting off to the restaurant job, but assembling the pieces took longer than I'd anticipated. We had to wait until Saturday to eat them!

Recipe (modified from the original):
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
  • Mix the cheese, pumpkin, garlic, and salt. This will be the filling - set it aside for now.
  • Combine the flour and salt. Push toward the edges of the bowl, creating a "well" in the center. Blend the tomato paste, oil, and eggs, and pour into the center of the bowl with flour. Stir with a fork, gradually bringing in the flour mixture from the edges of the bowl. If dough is too dry, mix in a little water (the recipe said up to 2 tablespoons, but it was more like 5...)
  • Knead for 5 minutes on floured cloth-covered surface, adding flour if dough is too sticky.
  • Cover dough and let it rest for 5 minutes. Divide in 4 parts. Roll out dough sections one at at time into rectangles (about 12 x 10 inches was the recommended size, but mine looked more like large blobs).
  • Drop pumpkin filling by the teaspoon onto half the rectangle, leaving an inch or two between rows.
  • Moisten the edges of the dough and the spaces between the filling piles. Fold the other half of the dough over the pumpkin mixture and press down around the filling, so that little filling pockets are created.
  • Cut between the rows and seal the edges of the ravioli pieces with a fork. Seal them well, or they will explode/leak when you cook them!
  • Place ravioli on a towel and let stand for about 30 minutes, until dry. Turn them once so that both sides dry out.
  • Cook ravioli in boiling water until tender (about 10 minutes).
  • Drain and serve with sauce.
Make sure to seal the edges!


Sauce:
1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 Romano cheese
Sage leaves (or a little bit of dried sage)
Salt & pepper to taste
  • Heat pumpkin and cream in a small saucepan. Add remaining ingredients.
  • Let sauce simmer for a few minutes until it thickens.
I'm glad I tried this recipe, but I'm not sure it will get made again... It was definitely unique. The sauce was a little too sweet and the ravioli a little too doughy. It was a good exercise it pasta-making though, something that we haven't attempted before.

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