Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

She's alive! Wow, admittedly that was a longer break then I intended. In all honestly I wasn't sure if I was going to make it back, but I missed you guys too much! And thank you for all of your sweet comments and emails. Each of them really made my day. I'm going to do my best to get caught up with all of you too, I have no doubt that I have missed out on a lot.

I recently joined a food group with some of the girls out here. Each month a special ingredient is picked, and we all try to contribute to a big meal with that ingredient. The theme for October was pumpkin, and while I usually think of baked goods when it comes to pumpkin, there was a surprising amount of savory dishes there. Who knew pumpkin could be so versatile!

Since I've been excited to try different kinds of ravioli, I thought it would be fun to make a pumpkin ravioli with a pungent blue cheese sauce. It turned out delicious with wonderfully contrasting flavors, but I'll be honest, they were a pill to make! Since the pumpkin is the thinnest filling I've ever used, it made the ravioli tough to seal, so a lot of them ruptured during boiling. Luckily I finally got the hang of it and ended up with a good batch. It was well worth the work, they turned out delicious.

If you'd like to check out the blog to our food group, click here. Enjoy!


Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

For Pasta:
1 cup semolina flour
1 cup white flour
2 eggs
1 tsp oil
1 tsp water

Combine flours and make a well. Beat eggs, oil and water, pour into center of well. Mix and knead until a stiff dough. Add more water if needed. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest in fridge for at least 30 minutes (I do it over night to save time).

For filling:
1 1/2 pound pumpkin
2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 F. To make the filling; quarter the pumpkin, removing the strings and seeds and place, flesh side down, on an oiled baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes, or until tender. Peel and puree flesh. Add egg yolk, cheese, sage, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

To make ravioli, divide dough into eight pieces. Roll two pieces into 1/8 inch strips, or on the setting of 5 on your pasta roller. Lay out one strip of dough on cutting board, place 1 tsp filling on dough about an inch apart (you'll make about four to five raviolis per strip of dough). Brush water around the outside of the filling, lay second strip of dough on top and seal, forcing out any air bubbles. Using a knife, or pasta roller, cut out ravioli. Allow ravioli to dry for 10 minutes before boiling.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a generous amount of salt. Gently place ravioli in water, cook for 10 minutes. Drain.

For Sauce:
1/4 cup heavy cream (I used fat-free half and half)
4 oz Gorgonzola
1/8 cup chicken broth
1 garlic clove

Over a double boiler, place Gorgonzola, allow to melt partially. Whisk in cream and broth and garlic clove whole. Cook for 3-4 minutes, remove garlic clove. Toss over pasta and serve immediately. I added toasted pine nuts as well.

Chicken Ravioli with Red Sauce

My baby girl just turned five a few weeks ago, whyyyyyy do they get older?

Anyway, for the night of her actual birthday I told her that I would make anything she wanted for her birthday. In my mind I'm expecting an answer like "corndogs!" or "macaroni and cheese!". But I should know better. My daughter is actually a bit of a foodie, she loves to watch cooking shows with me, LOVES to help in the kitchen, and loves to learn about different ingredients and techniques.

You should have seen this girl, practically shaking with options, until she finally blurts out, RAVIOLI! But not just any ravioli, chicken ravioli...with red sauce...and I want to make them with you mommy!

I guess we're making ravioli!

Never to fear though because just two weeks prior I had purchased a good old fashion pasta maker at the most magical place on earth (Williams Sonoma Outlet), for dirt cheap, and had actually been chomping at the bit to try it.

Pasta dough itself is actually really easy to make. One cup white flour, one to two cups semolina flour, mixed and made into a well. In the center you pour two eggs that have been beaten with one tablespoon of oil and two to three tablespoons of water. Gently mix it together until you are able to knead it into a dough (this is where the kids come in!).

You can add a few more drops of water if it doesn't all come together. Wrap it up in plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for at least thirty minutes. Take it out and divide it into six sections. Roll sheets two at a time. We made the mistake of flouring the dough the first time, don't do it. It needs to be a bit sticky so the rollers will grab it. Roll the dough on the largest setting (ours is seven) two or three times. It will roll out better each time, so don't get discouraged, plus the more you do it, the better you'll get. After that, change the setting to four, and roll it a final time for a thin pasta sheet, it sounds like a lot more work then it really is.

I'll be honest, I didn't measure any of my filling ingredients, but I don't actually think it's very important when making ravioli filling. In my processor I blended about a cup and a half of rotisserie chicken, two cloves of garlic, a big scoop of ricotta, a handful of shredded provolone, a handful of grated Pecorino Romano, and some salt and pepper. It blended and bound together very well, almost into a paste. I only wish that I had added some fresh parsley or basil. Once your pasta sheets are rolled, place about a tablespoon of filling an inch apart.

Brush a small amount of water on dough around the filling to help bind the top layer of dough. Place the top layer on and press dough down, releasing any air bubbles and closing around filling. I spent quite a bit of time making sure it was pressed down tightly. then you can you a knife, or your cute ravioli roller that you bought years ago with good intentions, and cut out your shapes. You can go fairly close to the filling when cutting. Then set them aside to dry. They need to dry for at least ten minutes before you boil them.

Gently place your ravioli in a well salted pot of boiling water. I only boiled a half batch at a time, and they boil for ten minutes. To my surprise not a single one burst during cooking!

The sauce was just a store bought marinara, but ended up being a delicious combo with our chicken ravioli. Despite the fact that this did not taste exactly like the Chef Boyardee that my daughter is used to, she ate all of it and was quite pleased with herself. This was a lot of fun to make with her. Cooking has become a lot of fun now that I get to do it with my kids.