KURI SQUASH RAVIOLI WITH SAGE, PECANS AND BROWN BUTTER SAUCE...and variations

Not all my catering/cooking stories have funny or happy endings, but they all contribute to the growth of a cook and a person.

My first gig as chef at a conference center known as the prototype of environmentally correct living was, quite naturally, a group of vegetarians seeking to overcome personal problems and allow themselves to grow. I was told repeatedly by the staff of the wonderful macrobiotic and health food chefs previously engaged by this group, and was excited to let them try my style for a change.
 I was not a vegetarian, but grew up loving vegetables and had many vegetarian meals in my repertoire.  These were the days when everything was made from scratch or it was considered "unworthy".


As the date drew near and the stories of past chefs more numerous, I started to mistrust myself and began reading all sorts of healthy cookbooks, magazines and articles and found some new recipes which sounded impressive for this group. Somehow I was equating the labor involved with the success of the meal.


The day of their arrival and first meal finally came. I started early for their 6 P.M. dinner. I soaked and boiled legumes, I washed, peeled (in some cases), diced, chopped, minced, kneaded, stewed and baked all morning and afternoon. The result was a Vegetable and Legume Stew in a homemade vegetable broth and Focaccia with Mushrooms and Fresh Artichokes and Cheese, some had Gorgonzola, some Fontina and some  had freshly roasted Red Peppers. There were several varieties of fresh fruit crisps with Frozen Yogurt for dessert. The group numbered around 50-60 and I was preparing alone.


The aromas were enticing; I decorated the buffet lavishly, arranged the food in varying heights for an optimal display and waited...


They ate, and ate and ate. The organizers of the group smiled and politely said, "Thank You" and that was it.
 Later after clean-up, the manager of the conference center took me aside and said that although they loved everything, it was not spectacular enough..they considered the meal "soup and pizza"!


I was devastated as well as exhausted!  Soup and Pizza!!! I had worked all day!! It was a vegetarian feast!!  I learned that even in that atmosphere and situation, short cuts had to be taken and culinary tricks had to be played..fewer veggies in the stew, a salad with a choice of dressings and condiments, pre-made bread dough, one variety of fruit crisp and some cookies or brownies added. I learned to limit the time consuming chores and optimize those items which were not: for example, berry crisp rather than apple crisp (no peeling or chopping).


I also learned to "cook from the heart" even when it seemed the situation demanded something else from me. Thereafter, whenever I had a difficult menu to solve, I would close my eyes and center myself, and think, "what would you like, Jeanne"?  Even if the ingredients were not of my choosing, the style would be!


Now, I love squash ravioli, but cannot stand the "sweet" varieties I encounter everywhere. They taste more like pumpkin or squash pie (which I love) but, I crave a savory sensation.
Since I've moved to Florida and have a postage stamp sized kitchen, no butcher block or marble surfaces, no special drawers filled with flour and sugar, nothing much to make a cook smile, I have limited my cooking repertoire. No more homemade pasta (yet anyway)! Yes, I did say that...I know I taught many of you HOW to make pasta and you all probably still do...but I, at least for now, do NOT!


When I  got the Kuri Squash from SunCoast Organics, I just knew I had to make Squash Ravioli, my way! The reddish squash was so beautiful and I knew from baking it earlier in the week, it was not stringy but dense and bursting with flavor.

Kuri Squash and Salem Pumpkins!!

Now for the lesson learned. I remember reading that one could use wonton wrappers for ravioli and actually did try it many years ago. It was successful, but once I got into making the stuff, I forgot about it...it came back and so my solution to having my own ravioli without making the pasta! (ok, so maybe it's not as good, but it sure tasted great!!)

KURI (or other) SQUASH RAVIOLI

First Roast the squash: Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the squash (about 1 1/2 -2 #) into manageable pieces. Spray with cooking spray or brush with butter and place it flesh side down on a greased baking sheet or foil. Roast until softened about 20 (for Kuri)-30 (other squash)minutes.

Squash to be Roasted

 

Roasted Squash

Allow it to cool a little and then scoop out the flesh. With Kuri, you can just peel the skin off (even eat it, it is so soft!). Mash.

 FILLING:

1 cup squash puree

1 shallot, minced

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons ricotta

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup grated parmesan

pinch of salt and pepper

This makes enough filling for 1 package of wonton wrappers (48)

Making ravioli

Take one wrapper and place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the center. Moisten the edges with water and fold into a triangle. Repeat until done. You can freeze these if you make more than you need.

BROWN BUTTER SAUCE WITH SAGE AND NUTS

1/2 Cup plus 2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons chopped nuts

10-15 leaves fresh sage

In the meantime, melt 2 tablespoons butter and toast 3 tablespoons chopped nuts. I used pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, almonds, etc. are ok too.

Heat 1/2 cup butter until it browns, NOT burns, just toasty brown. Add 10-15 sliced sage leaves and crisp them. Then add the toasted nuts. 

Brown Butter

Add sage

Add the toasted nuts

Keep sauce warm and cook ravioli.

Bring several quarts of water to a light boil. You do not want to boil the ravioli vigorously or they may break. Boil them a few at a time for 6 minutes or  until they float to the top. Remove and keep warm until finished. (just cover with foil in the colander). 

Risen to the top!

Cooked and ready to sauce!

Serve them with the butter sauce and freshly grated parmesan.

Oh MY!! Worth the wait!

Variation:

Use Chives in place of sage (garlic chives are best!), walnuts, and crumble gorgonzola on top.

I also LOVE a very garlicky Roasted Tomato Sauce on Squash Ravioli.

Roasted Tomato Sauce

2 # sauce tomatoes, Roma, Early Girl, etc.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

8 cloves garlic, crushed 

4 tablespoons butter or more oil

fresh herbs, basil, oregano, thyme (optional)

Salt and pepper

Slice the tomatoes and place on a baking sheet
Preheat the oven to 400

Drizzle oil over the tomatoes and spread the crushed garlic. Add herbs if using and salt and pepper. Roast until soft and juicy about 30-40 minutes. You could also slice the garlic in place of crushing it and roast it with the tomatoes.

One of the pasta sauces I used to make for the group mentioned above was these roasted garlic tomatoes with butternut squash added to them! They loved that AND all the "additions" I made to the menu each time! Try it sometime.