Squash Ravioli With Herbed Butter Sauce - cooking recipe

Ingredients

For the filling
2 cups butternut squash, rind removed, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
For Pasta
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
For the sauce
8 tablespoons butter
12 -16 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced

Preparation

Make the filling. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the squash on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast it until tender when peirced with a fork, about 30 minutes. Allow the squash to cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer it to a medium-size bowl. Blend the squash with the milk, cheese, and nutmeg until it has a smooth, mashed potato-like consistancy. Note: the squash can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container.
Make the pasta. On a clean work surface. mound the flour and make a well in the center. In a small bowl use a fork to lightly beat together the salt and the eggs. Carefully pour the egg mixture into the well. Using a fork, gently incorporate the flour into the egg mixture, a small amount at a time. With your hands and a spatula or dough scraper, work the dough until it pulls together into a smooth, pliable ball.
Halve the dough, then form each peice into a 1/2inch thick disk. Cover the disks with plastc wrap and set them aside to rest at room tempature for 30 minutes.
lightly flour your work surface and half each dough disk. Roll out one of your dough portions as thinly as you can (to about the thickness of a dime), then use a 2 1/2 inch- diameter drinking glass, biscuit cutter, or cookie cutter to cut rounds from the dough. arrange them in pairs. Each half disk should yield 7 pairs of dough rounds.
Further thin the dough rounds by pinching them between your thumb and forefinger. each round should increase in diameter by about 1/4 inch.
Use a pair of dough rounds to make each ravioli. With a pastry brush or your fingertips dipped in water, paint a half inch perimeter around one of the dough rounds. Spoon a 1/2 tablespoon of squash filling into the center, then press the other round ontop of it along the moistened edges. Use the tines of a fork to seal the edges.
Bring two large pots of water to boil (using two pots allows all the pasta to cook at once). Meanwhile , make the sauce. Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the sage and continue to cook the sauce until it's light brown and has a nutty aroma, about 4 minuts. Remove the sauce from the heat.
Line a large plate with paper towels. Add half the ravioli to each pot of boiling water. The pasta will float to the top after 2 or 3 minutes, but continue cooking it until tender, about 15 more minutes ( take one out and test its tenderness before draining an entire batch). When the ravioli are done, use a slotted spoon or spatula to scoop them out and transfer them to paper towels to drain.
To serve, place the ravioli on individual plates and drizzle them with a spoonful of the Herbed Butter Sauce. Sprinkle on more parmesan, if you like.