Wednesday, September 19, 2012

acorn squash ravioli // thyme garlic "butter"

acorn squash ravioli // thyme garlic
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!

acorn squash ravioli // thyme garlic
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.
acorn squash ravioli // thyme garlic
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.
acorn squash ravioli // thyme garlic acorn squash ravioli // thyme garlic
acorn squash ravioli // thyme garlic
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.
acorn squash ravioli // thyme garlic
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.
acorn squash ravioli // thyme garlic acorn squash ravioli // thyme garlic
acorn squash ravioli // thyme garlic
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
acorn squash ravioli // thyme garlic acorn squash ravioli // thyme garlic
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 garlic acorn squash ravioli // thyme garlic
acorn squash ravioli // thyme garlic
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!

print this recipe
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50 comments:

  1. Lovely recipe, looks like your efforts paid off! The photos are amazing, it's like something out of a cookbook.

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    Replies
    1. That is the sweetest comment ever - thank you!

      I am so glad I took a deep breath and continued on for a second round- so worth it!

      Delete
  2. OH my...am I invited for dinner tonight.. This is amazing. It looks so delicious. I've never made ravioli before, but you really make me want to try it !! My biggest recipe challenge was so make a nice gluten free pizza and a gluten free bread...!

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    1. YES - you are always welcome, but girls nights are much more fun :)

      Oh gosh gluten free bread is a challenge!

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  3. These are SO pretty. I have made tortellini (only twice, and am still intimidated), but the ravioli stamp I bought last year is sitting all sad and forgotten in my cupboard.

    Did you make these with the spelt flour? (Sorry if I missed that info somewhere; I'm distracted by the pictures. :)

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    1. Hi Amy!

      Thank you so much for the comment and for stopping by :) Oh gosh tortellini you are a brave girl!!

      I did use White Spelt Flour which I love :)

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  4. Yuuuuum! Perfect almost-fall recipe! My mouth is watering.

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  5. I love your take on these ravioli, it's a nice refreshing change.

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    1. Thanks Gerlinde - i love ravioli in all forms, but this by far has been my favorite!

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  6. These ravioli sound so great for fall! Glad you got past that frustrating first batch. :)

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    1. Hahaha no one is perfect - we all have kitchen flops and I wanted to prove that it could be done even if the first try was a disaster :)

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  7. This recipe sounds amazing! I've never attempted homemade pasta. I actually am kind of impatient with cooking sometimes and I feel like I'd be setting myself up for disaster. Thank you for showing us your not-so-pretty first attempt, and confirming it just takes practice! :)

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    1. This was actually a lot quicker than I thought it would be (after that first oh my god I am going to have a meltdown attempt!)

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  8. I've only ever made gnocchi, but definitely want to try ravioli soon! I have to make this recipe in the next month or so - take full advantage of the fresh squash at the farmer's market. Wow. It looks so amazingly delicious!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Court- gnocchi is on my list of must try too - do you have a good recipe?

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  9. i have never made home made pasta either:) and i dont think i am up for sweating out in the kitchen right now:)
    the ravioli looks beautiful and perfect with the simple flavors

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    Replies
    1. Just make sure you have a window open and some good tunes - plus a cute chewie by your side might make the pricess easier :)

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  10. What stunning ravioli my friend, I love your twists :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  11. Such a pretty plate! I thought you had sprinkled lavender on it - the pistachio and thyme combo looks so floral and dainty! I love squash ravioli but have never attempted to make my own...I can see how it would be a learning process but looks like you mastered it!

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    Replies
    1. Haha you are totally right it does look like lavander! You should definitely give making ravioli a try - it really is pretty simple! I had thought about addng in beets to the dough for color but was afraid I would end up with pink hands that wouldn't go away :)

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  12. I used to make raviolis back in the day, and I honestly have no idea what happened to my pasta rolling machine or my ravioli stamp. No clue. Nevertheless...

    These are probably the most gorgeous ravioli I've ever seen! I love the thyme butter, it sounds so fancy and delicious!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Kristy! - The thyme butter was so easy and good, love fresh herbs from the garden!


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  13. I just bought a ravioli stamp last week. I got mine from Williams-Sonoma for $22 - now I feel really ripped off!!! I want to try to make raviolis, but it makes me nervous...I don't want to work so hard and fail at the end :( Yours look damn fine, though, so good job!

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    Replies
    1. I am sure your ravioli stamp is waaay better than my $4.25 one - but it did do the job :) You should definitely give making ravs a shot and tell us all about it...and honestly I am saying this because I am selfish and want to see what amazing variation you come up with!

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  14. Oh my gosh, I am in love with the combo of sweet squash and pistachios! I have made homemade pasta (tortellini, ravioli, etc.) and it is tricky the first couple times... but it does get easier. It's always worth it, though. There's nothing quite like homemade pasta. Now, if only The Fiance liked squash... because that filling sounds so perfect!

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    Replies
    1. Okay - so tell me, how in the world does one make tortellini, they are so small and dainty! It is so worth it and much easier than I had ever thought it would be...even with the not so good first try!

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  15. This is just beautiful Heather :) Little bites of autumn...amazing!

    Kudos to you making your own ravioli by the way- you are impressive!

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    1. Awww thanks Gabby, you are pretty impressive yourself!

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  16. This combination looks delicious! Homemade pasta always seems to take so long, but there's nothing like it. Your photographs are beautiful...the pistachios add such a pretty colour, and I can imagine a delicious crunch as well.

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    1. Thank you so much! The pistachios were the perfect finishing touch, all the flavors played along so well together :)

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  17. Those are quite possibly the most beautiful ravioli I have ever seen. Love the food styling too, especially the baby blue!

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    1. Thanks Tiffany! They are quite pretty aren't they :)

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  18. I wish I had seen this earlier! I had the silly idea of making whole wheat ravioli last night (my guy surprised me with one of those fancy cutters, you've got there) - and it was so tough on my digestive system. I didn't realize you could use spelt flour! Guh. Love your squash filling. I wound up doing soaked cashews + broccoli + garlic and it was delicious. I have a feeling we'll be eating ravioli on a weekly basis. Have you tried any other flavor combinations yet? I'm dying for a spinach mushroom version NOW!

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    Replies
    1. Love the sounf of you filling sounds so good! funny you mention the whole wheat, I made a whole wheat version and the dough was really tough to work with....but I powered through, I do prefer the white spelt flour rav though! The last time I made raviolis I filled it with a combination of firm tofu, garlic, spinach & nutri yeast with a little salt all whirled together in a mini food processor - LOVED! I really want to make a staright up wild mushroom, that is definitely on the list!

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  19. I just made this and subbed canned pumpkin instead bcuz I was in a rush...these turned out amazing! Thanks

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    Replies
    1. Awesome- so happy you l liked them- pumpkin is an awesome sub in!

      Delete
  20. I'm actually making ravioli tonight and found this while I was searching for tips.
    I tried making a butternut squash risotto once, but I didn't roast the squash anywhere near long enough and I wound up with these crunchy blocks of squash in a sea of rice instead.

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  21. I'd love to make this recipe but am nervous about boiling the ravioli. I have tried twice before to make gnocchi and ended up with dense soggy balls of dough instead. I had the water up to a high boil but when I would add a few gnocchi to the pot the water would take a little bit of time to get back to boiling. How do you avoid dense soggy ravioli?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Allison!
      I would avoid adding too many ravioli to the pot of boiling water , you don't want to overcrowd the pot with rav's and you will want to make sure that your water is at a rolling boil and keep it that way. Using a very large deep pot is key too :) Good luck!

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