Butternut Squash Ravioli

(uncooked)

When I need to get my mind off of something, I tend to retreat to the kitchen. The more involved and complicated the recipe, the better. Which means when I'm stressed out or sad, my place is a great spot for time intensive dishes that I don't usually make or have never tried before. (Come by, bring Tupperware.)
This weekend I bought my very first mandolin down at Soko (plus some plates, and bowls, and spoons, and some slippers over at Ichiban Kan, and maybe a couple of other random things because it's Japantown and THA CUTE and who can help themselves, yes?). I was all excited to make a tian and was feeling ready to cook my cares away with some nice, comforting, roasted veggies. As I wandered around Nijiya Market waiting for something to tickle my fancy (once I realized they wouldn't have any of the veggies I was wanting for my tian), my eyes fell on the wonton and gyoza wrappers.
Ravioli.
Yes.
Another hoof over the bridge to Safeway, a 20 minute search for a shopping cart (seriously? I ended up with one from Ikea that I found hidden in a corner of the parking lot; please note that the nearest Ikea is like 12 miles away, over the Bay Bridge), and I got down to business. Spinach and ricotta? Butternut squash? Something mushroomy? I went with the squash thinking that since I was being so healthy with my tian, a little brown butter sage sauce wouldn't hurt anyone.
I got my inspiration here, was immediately side tracked by this,* bookmarked for a later date * and then got down to business.

Butternut Squash Ravioli
1 butternut squash - I'm guessing it was about 2 pounds
4 tbsp room temperature butter
2-3 tbsp honey
salt & pepper
a pinch of pumpkin pie spice - maybe 1/4 tsp (or to taste)
1 pkg dumpling wrappers
water
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp of chopped sage

Heat the oven to 400 and cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scrape out the pumpkiny seeds and strings and throw those away. Smear the halves with 2 tbsp of the butter (1 tbsp for each half) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until fork tender; I think this took me about 45 minutes - you know I don't pay attention to that stuff.
Let the squash cool a bit and then scrape out the flesh into the bowl of your food processor. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of butter, the pumpkin pie spice and the honey, and puree until smooth. Give it a taste and decide what you think it needs - more salt, honey, butter, whatever. I was happy with this blend, but you might like it sweeter or richer. The original recipe I looked at for butternut squash ravioli called for you to add heavy cream which you could also do.

Get yourself a little "finger bowl" of water for sealing the ravioli. Dollop about 1 tbsp of filling onto each pastry square and wet two of the sides with the water. Press closed, and then seal by pressing firmly with a fork (but not so hard that you tear the dough). The goal here is to get a nice plump ravioli, but without having the filling smoosh out when you try to close it (which makes it tough to seal, and they're more likely to bust open when you cook them). I fold mine in half like triangles, but you could go a step further and bring the ends around to make them look more like tortellini.

They don't take much to get cooked - a couple of minutes in boiling, salted water and they're done. Be careful though - they're super delicate.

While mine were in the water I put 4 tbsp of butter into a pan and once it was melted down I added the sage. I let that cook until it was brown, then carefully drained each ravioli and put it into the butter to coat. A little sprinkling of some parmesan cheese, some crushed, toasted walnuts; maybe some biscotti or something, and voila. Nom.

I served mine with the veggie tian I love making, and a mixed greens salad with roasted onion vinaigrette with goat cheese and tomatoes.

Beef Stew

While couch potato-ing just the day before Thanksgiving, I watched Giada Di Laurentis make the most amazing looking beef stew. The bonus? It called for the fresh herbs I just happened to need for the turkey that Ina Garten inspired me to make.
A quick trip to Trader Joe's gave me a big ol' bag of ready to go, cubed stew meat; ready to go, cubed butternut squash, and I was in business.
I read other users' comments too late, but now I know for next time. And the time after that. And the time after that as well. Because this stew was AWESOME and easy and I am totally making it again. It serves 4-5 (five only if you're having a big salad or some starters first, and your company is really polite and refrains from going back for more).
Beef and Butternut Squash Stew
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 pounds stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes (or if you're lucky it's ready to go for you; several other users swear by using boneless ribs)
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup Marsala wine; red wine; or sherry - I used Dry Sack and it was awesome, and another user said she used plain old red wine and it was still amazing
1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
3 to 4 cups beef broth - I used the little packs that TJ's sells and they're delish. Best part? No more wasting half a carton; each little pack makes one cup!
2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley - I skipped this, but to each their own
Crusty bread - sourdough, obviously, for serving
optional ingredients:
roux - have it on hand since you will probably need it; I made mine with flour, but cornstarch is probably quicker
tomato paste can also be used to intesify the tomato flavor and to thicken

In a large soup pot heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, and thyme and saute until the onions are tender, about 2 minutes. Toss the beef cubes in salt and pepper and flour (I shake and bake those punks in a plastic bag). Turn up the heat to med-high and add the beef to the pot. Cook until the beef is browned and golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the Marsala wine (or whatever you're using). Using a wooden spoon, gently stir up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine. Add enough beef broth to just cover the beef, I used 3 cups. Bring the stew to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. 30-40 minutes in, add the squash. Giada says to add it in the beginning, but it will probably turn to mush if you do. If you wait until later, the cubes will maintain their cubeyness. Season the stew with additional salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley if you're into that sort of thing. Serve with copious amounts of sourdough.

My stew was certainly ready within the hour, but depending on your cut of meat, it may take longer so keep an eye on things and poke around when you think it's done. I'm probably going to add mushrooms next time. Booyah!

This is easy to prepare, fast (for a stew), hearty and will make your house smell amazing. Quinn arrived well into the cooking process and said he could smell it as he came up the stairs and had his fingers crossed that it was coming from my apartment. Silly boy, there are always delicious smells coming from my apartment.

Unless it's cauliflower night. : /

***********Update:

Tried it again with some delicious wine Andrea brought over. I also didn't have the fresh herbs I needed so I used an Italian herb blend. I tossed the beef with whole wheat flour rather than AP flour. I waited until the last 20 minutes to add the squash and that worked out much better. I did not need any roux to thicken this batch. It was amazing, yet again.

Fall = Squash

Butternut squash, pumpkin squash, acorn squash, squash sammiches. . . . the list goes on.
Wiki taught me some cool squash history in fact:
Squash was one of the "Three Sisters" planted by Native Americans. The Three Sisters were the three main indigenous plants used for agriculture: maize (corn), beans, and squash. These were usually planted together, with the cornstalk providing support for the climbing beans, and shade for the squash. The squash vines provided ground cover to limit weeds. The beans provided nitrogen fixing for all three crops.

How clever! Ah, a return to our small farm roots; it's a bummer I no longer have a backyard to tempt me to try to plant these three and tend to them for a month before I forget they're there and they die.

If you're in a squashy mood, these two nummerific Aylene recipes are sure to please, especially the gratin. * melts *

Roasted Butternut Squash Dip

Terrific with toasted baguette slices or pita chips, this creamy, sweet-savory dip can be prepared up to three days in advance. Refrigerate in a microwave-safe container, then reheat in a microwave on high for one to two minutes or just until warmed.


1 (2-pound) butternut squash
1 small sweet onion, trimmed and quartered
4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons crème fraîche or whole sour cream
¾ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350°

Cut squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membrane. Brush cut sides of squash halves, cut sides of onion quarter, and garlic cloves with oil. Arrange squash halves, cut sides down, on a jelly-roll pan, or baking sheet with sides; arrange onion quarters and garlic cloves on pan. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes, or until just starting to caramelize. Cool slightly. Peel squash. Squeeze garlic cloves to extract pulp.

Place squash, onion, and garlic pulp in a food processor; process until smooth. Add crème fraîche and remaining ingredients; process to combine. Serve warm.

Yield: 4 Cups (serving size: ¼ cup)

CALORIES 35 (28% from fat); FAT 1.1g; PROTEIN 0.6g; CHOLESTEROL 1mg; CARBS 6.3g


This can also be turned into butternut squash soup. Just add fat free half and half or chicken broth to the finished or leftover recipe until you reach the desired consistency and reheat.

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Butternut Squash Gratin

Serves 4-6

1 medium-size butternut squash (2-2 ½ lbs.)
(Trader Joes sells already peeled and cubed)
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup grated Gruyere (hard type of Swiss-no holes)
¼ teaspoon white pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
½ cup freshly toasted breadcrumbs-sourdough is great (not
finely ground from the store)
2 tablespoons butter, diced
1 tablespoon fresh minced basil
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley

Instructions: Preheat oven to 425°

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

➢ Using a knife or a sturdy vegetable peeler, remove the rind from the squash. Depending on the size of your squash, cutting the neck from the base may make it easier to do this. Scoop out the seeds. Dice the squash into ¾-inch pieces, and transfer to the sheet pan.

➢ Drizzle the olive oil over the squash and season with the black pepper and 1 ½ teaspoons of the salt. Toss to coat, then roast for 15 minutes, or until the squash is just tender, but not quite cooked through. Set aside.

➢ Lower oven temperature to 350°

➢ Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, gently heat the cream. Gently whisk in the cheeses, ½ teaspoon of salt, white pepper and nutmeg, stirring until the cheese is melted and the spices incorporated. Set aside and keep warm.

➢ Transfer the cooked squash to an 8-inch square baking dish. Pour the cream and cheese mixture evenly over the squash.

➢ Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the mixture, then scatter the butter on top. Season with salt and pepper.

➢ Bake for 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cream sauce is bubbling.

➢ Meanwhile, toss the herbs (basil, thyme, parsley) together in a small bowl. Remove the gratin from the oven, and garnish with the herb mixture.