Frank Stitt is the chef and owner of several renowned Birmingham, AL, restaurants, including Highlands Bar & Grill. He has written two books, Frank Stitt’s Southern Table: Recipes and Gracious Traditions from Highlands Bar and Grill and Bottega Favorita: A Southern Chef’s Love Affair With Italian Food. Stitt received the James Beard Award for Best Chef of the Southeast in 2001.Serves 4
Ingredients For the Pasta Dough:
• 1 3/4 to 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 9 extra-large egg yolks
Preparation For the Pasta Dough:
To make the dough by hand: Mix the flour and salt and mound on a work surface. Make a well in the center, like the crater of a volcano. Place the egg yolks in the well and, using a fork, mix them together. Start gradually bringing in a little flour from the sides, then continue adding the flour bit by bit until the dough comes together and all the flour has been incorporated. Knead the dough, flouring the work surface as necessary, until it is smooth and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes; it will be a bit sticky. Shape it into a disk, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
To make the dough in a mixer: Combine the eggs and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough hook and beat to break up the eggs. Gradually add the flour and mix until the dough just pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It should still be a bit tacky to the touch. Do not overmix the dough, or it will become tough. Press the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
1. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the remaining dough covered with a towel or plastic wrap.
2. Sprinkle a portion of dough with a light dusting of flour, then pass it through a pasta machine at its widest setting. Lay the ribbon of dough on your floured surface and fold it in half, so that the ends meet, and pass it through the same setting a second time.
3. Adjust your pasta machine down a setting and pass the sheet of pasta through. Fold it in half again and pass it through the same setting a second time. Continue in the same fashion until you have passed the sheet of pasta through the thinnest setting twice.
4. When the dough sheet becomes too long to handle, cut it into manageable lengths. Transfer each finished sheet to a lightly dusted work surface and keep covered with a slightly dampened towel to keep the pasta from drying out while you roll out the remaining dough.
The pasta is ready to use.
Ingredients For the Roasted Butternut Squash:
• 1 medium size butternut squash, cut lengthwise in half, seeds and membranes removed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fruity extra virgin olive oil
Preparation For the Roasted Butternut Squash:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Season the cut surfaces of the butternut squash with salt and pepper and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until just soft.
3. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. When the squash is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and puree the squash through a food mill.
Ingredients For the Ravioli Filling:
• 2 heaping cups of roasted butternut squash
• 1/2 cup ricotta
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Pasta dough, rolled out as directed and cut into 24-inch lengths
• Cornmeal for dusting
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 large sage leaves, torn into pieces
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Cracked black pepper
Preparation For the Ravioli Filling:
1. To prepare the filling, combine the squash, ricotta, nutmeg, and salt and pepper in a bowl, mixing well. Refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up the filling.
2. Remove the filling from the refrigerator and spoon it into a pastry bag without a tip, or a plastic bag with a 1/2-inch opening cut in one corner.
3. Fold one pasta sheet in half so that the two short ends meet, to mark the center, then unfold the sheet so that it rests lengthwise in front of you. Working on one side of the crease, starting 2 inches from the end, arrange tablespoonfuls of filling down the sheet at 4-inch intervals.
4. Fold the other side of the pasta back over so that the edges again line up, and press the dough around the mounds of filling to seal. Center a 3-inch scalloped cutter around each mound of filling and cut circles. Press the edges together firmly to seal, without losing the pretty scallop.
5. Place the ravioli on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal, and repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (You need only 12 ravioli for this recipe. Arrange the remaining ravioli on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze until firm. Then transfer to heavy-duty freezer bags and freeze for up to 2 months.)
6. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Drop the 12 ravioli into the boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until just tender.
7. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When it is foamy, drop in the sage leaves and cook for 1 minute, or until lightly toasted but not brown.
8. Lift the ravioli out of the boiling water with a slotted spoon and place in the sauté pan with the sage. Add a small splash of the pasta water and gently toss to coat the ravioli with the butter. Serve in warm pasta bowls, sprinkled with a little grated Parmigiano and cracked pepper.
Recipe Notes:
Pumpkin—zucca—is a classic filling for pasta in the Emilia-Romagna region around Bologna. To me butternut squash is more flavorful than our pumpkin, so I usually use it, but if you can find flavorful pumpkins or Hubbard or Delicata squash, don’t hesitate to use them. Although some recipes include crumbled almond biscotti in the filling for added texture and sweetness, I prefer this version, which allows you to savor the simplicity of the pasta and the autumn flavor of the filling with just a bit of sage and melted butter.
Tip:
You can freeze the extra ravioli this recipe makes in batches to pull out as needed. Drop the still-frozen pasta into boiling salted water, and you’ll have a delicious meal in less than five minutes.
This Side recipe was published in 'Martha Stewart Living Radio Thanks giving Hotline Recipes 2010 - p33'.
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