acorn squash ravioli // thyme garlic "butter"

do you ever head into a project thinking - hey this will be a piece of cake, i'll be done in no time!

only to find out that it was a little more tricky than you thought?

this is exactly what happened with this recipe. you see, i have never made homemade ravioli and after researching the process it seemed simple enough.

yeah - simple once you get the hang of it, not so simple the first go around.

i was totally sweating it, wondering if i was going to be able to actually get the hang of it.

the second go at it was much more successful - thank goodness, totally worth it.

like pie crust and making bread, the more you do it the easier & quicker it becomes.

you'll be a ravioli making queen before you know it!



i love the way the dough turns out when kneaded - it is so smooth and silky - super soft, different than  bread dough. the dough comes together so quickly - the longest part of the process is allowing the dough to rest for 15 minutes.

the ravioli filling is amazing - good enough to eat alone.

but trust me, make the ravioli and fill it with this amazing acorn squash.

its like biting into a little piece of autumn.

the ravioli can be filled with any type of filling - portobella, tofu ricotta, spinach & marinara.

the ravioli stamp was purchased on amazon for less than $5 bucks - total score.

you can also use an open end of a small glass or mason jar.

as you can clearly see my first attempt wasn't so fantastic - what i learned from this:

1. use plenty of flour - more than you think you need; flour, roll, flip, flour & repeat

2. don't roll your dough thin - roll ticker than you first think

the more i worked with the dough and got the feel for it the better i became.

the thyme "butter" is such a simple sauce that really allows the acorn squash to shine through.

 earthy in taste, thyme is one of my favorite herbs of fall.

pistachios add the finishing touch- a bit of salty goodness and texture

have you ever made homemade ravioli - did you run into any challenges your first time around?

what has been your biggest kitchen or recipe challenge as of late?

acorn squash ravioli ~ thyme butter

serves 2 as a main & 4 as a starter - easily doubled

homemade ravioli dough

2 cups all purpose flour or white spelt flour + more for dusting 

1/2 - 3/4 warm cup water

1 tbsp olive oil

filling

1 small acorn squash/ peeled & cubed (about 2 cups) -steamed

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp salt

butter

1 tbsp fresh thyme - woody stems removed

2 tbsp earth balance

2 tbsp pistachios, roughly chopped

assembly:

to make the ravioli dough
in a medium bowl combine flour, water and olive oil - mix with your hand or a wooden spoon until combined. turn out onto a well floured surface and knead for 7-8 minutes. cover and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

to make the filling
peel the acorn squash & seed - cut into small cubes and steam for 10 minutes or until soft.
transfer to a bowl and mash until smooth - add maple syrup, nutritional yeast, smoke paprika & salt, mix well & set aside.

thyme butter
in a medium sauce pan melt butter
remove the thyme leaves from the woody stems and place in the butter
continue cooking on low to allow the oils from the thyme to infuse the butter - keep warm

making the ravioli
on a well floured surface with a french rolling pin or regular rolling pin, roll dough out double the width of your ravioli stamp (you can also use the open end of a glass) . roll out to your desired thickness - about 1/4" to an 1/8", thick enough that when you handle the ravioli the dough will hold up. use as much flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking.
imprint the top and bottom of the dough with the ravioli stamp - 12 mirror images.
on the bottom  "stamp" place a little less than 1 tablespoon of filling in each "stamp".
with a pastry brush, brush each top "stamp" with water - fold over the top layer over the bottom so each top and bottom stamp line up.
take the ravioli stamp and stamp over each ravioli, sealing the final ravioli.
transfer over to a parchment lined plate in a single layer.

bring a pot of water to a boil - working in batches, 3 or 4 at a time boil ravioli for 3-4 minutes each batch. transfer cooked ravioli to the thyme butter pan and continue cooking ravioli in batches.

toss the cooked ravioli in the thyme butter - plate each serving and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.

enjoy!

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