The Pumpkin Post~ Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s that time of the year again where everything goes from green to red to orange to brown…fall is (was) here!  Given the recent weather reports from across the globe, I’d rather rephrase my statement, most parts of the northern hemisphere that see snow during winter are already seeing snowfall in fall (sigh!).  Much to my liking...Fall is synonymous to the color orange not white!  

Well, Thanksgiving is just around the corner and if I were in the US right now, I’d be busy at the farmers market picking pumpkins and other squashes for my favorite soup of the season.  We all know by now that pumpkins are actually types of squash, and are a healthy fall and winter favorite which can also be enjoyed in recipes year round if you freeze or can the flesh after they ripen in the fall, do remember to save the seeds. Here in India we are absolutely lucky to find varieties of squash all through the year.

Though I love a hearty roasted pumpkin soup, I decided to try a new recipe this season (that’s what chef’s do, we never stop at one recipe).  Though this is not my first try at making ravioli from scratch, let me throw in a word of caution that it is so daman easy to make, that it can get addictive ;)

And here is a healthy vegetarian pasta dish which can be used as either a main course or a side dish.  The following recipe is work of another cook, which I originally found on a website called naturalnews.com.  I have included my notes and adaptations~ enjoy the process~

Pumpkin Ravioli~

For the Filling~

1 cup roasted pumpkin (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cumin
dash of white or black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup ground cashews (or nuts of your choice)

For the Pasta~

1 1/2 cups semolina flour (I took normal Rawa, lightly roasted it and ground it to a fine powder)
1/2 cup all purpose non-bleached flour (regular maida is just fine)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup water
1 tsp olive oil (I used EVOO)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Roast the Pumpkin~

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. (approx 200c)
Slice your pumpkin in half horizontally and scrape out all the seeds and surrounding stringiness.

Place both pumpkin halves cut side down on a baking sheet at roast for about an hour or until the skin is very soft and brown in spots and the flesh is soft and easily separates.

Scrape flesh away from skin and let drain in colander.

To make the filling, melt margarine over medium heat in a large saucepan.
Add nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin, pepper, salt and ground cashews.
Stir in pumpkin and cook, stirring and mashing, until your mixture is fragrant and the consistency of stringy, creamy mashed potatoes.
Turn off heat and set aside.

Make the pasta~

Sift together flour, salt and basil. Add oil and water and knead until a stiff dough forms.
If you're going to be cooking your ravioli the same day that you're making them, you'll probably want to prepare a large pot of water at this point so it'll be ready to go when you're done with assembly. Add a dash of salt and a dollop of olive oil to the water.
Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it as thin as you can with a rolling pin (or, if you have a pasta maker, by all means use it). You may want to work with a small portion of the dough at a time.
Cut your dough into roughly matching rounds - about 2.5" works well.
Put approximately 1 tablespoon of your pumpkin filling in the middle of a round, place another round on top, and pinch around the edges to seal. (This is a great step on which to enlist the help of family and friends - it will go much quicker with more hands on the job.)

Place ravioli on parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Gently drop ravioli into a large pot of boiling water.

Cook for 15 minutes and carefully drain.
Serve with sauce (refer to basic Marinara sauce as an option) of your choice. Or a simple brown butter sage sauce ~ Melt the butter in a pan, cook until lightly browned, fragrant and nutty smelling. Remove from heat, and let it cool off for a minute then add the balsamic and a pinch of salt, pour over the ravioli top with the toasted pine nuts sage and parmesan.

Notes~
One pumpkin will yield way more than the one cup needed for this recipe, so you might want to plan on making a pie, soup, and/or other recipes that call for pumpkin. Or quadruple this recipe; ravioli freezes well. Or just drain, bag and freeze your excess pumpkin.

Save and rinse your pumpkin seeds. They are easy to roast and delicious. Simply toss in oil, spread on a baking sheet and roast at 350 (175c) for about 30 minutes, stirring half way through.

You can make the ravioli ahead of time. It keeps very well on parchment paper in containers in the fridge.

Credits~

Recipe from naturalway.com and pictures from wanderingchopsticks.blogspot.com, behance.net, elanaspantry.com

Happy Thanksgiving and happiness in cooking all the way! J