Pumpkin Ravioli

Pumpkin Ravioli Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, The Wolfgang Puck Cookbook,
Random House, 1986
 10 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter
1 pound fresh pumpkin, peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 bay leaf
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage, plus 6 small leaves for garnish
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
2 eggs, beaten
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1/2 recipe Spinach Pasta Dough or Regular Pasta Dough, recipe follows
1 egg, beaten lightly, for egg wash
Semolina
2 cups chicken stock or light duck stock, recipe follows
2 shallots, choppedHeat a saute pan over low heat and add 4 tablespoons of
the butter. When the butter is foamy, add the cubed pumpkin and cook,
stirring often to stop it from sticking and burning, until it softens and
falls into a puree.
Turn the pumpkin into a saucepan, add 1/2 of the cream and half the herbs
and cook over a low heat for approximately 1 hour, or until the puree is
thick and the liquid has evaporated. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching.
Remove from the heat and beat in an additional 2 tablespoons of butter.
Whisk in the beaten eggs, season, to taste, with salt and pepper and set a
side to cool.
On a floured surface, roll out the pasta as thin as possible. Cut into 2
sheets and brush 1 of them with egg wash. Using a teaspoon, place 24 equal
mounds of the pumpkin puree on the egg-washed dough, about 2 inches apart.
Cover the mounded dough with the second sheet of pasta and press around the
mounds of pumpkin to seal the dough.
Using a ravioli cutter or a sharp knife cut the ravioli. Dust a tray with
semolina and place the ravioli on it.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, while you make the sauce.
Prepare the sauce: In a saucepan, reduce the stock with the shallots to 1/2
cup. Add the remaining cream and reduce by half. Over a low heat, whisk in
the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, a little at a time, over low heat.
Strain the sauce into a clean saucepan and add the remaining sage and thyme.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the ravioli to the rapidly boiling water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain. Add the ravioli to the sauce and
bring just to a boil. Correct the seasonings.
Divide the ravioli among preheated soup dishes and spoon the sauce over
them. Garnish each serving with a fresh sage leaf. Serve immediately.
A simple but delicious alternative sauce can be made from fresh unsalted
butter, minced fresh sage, and a little freshly grated Parmesan.Spinach
Pasta Dough:
1/2 pound fresh spinach (about 1 bunch)
11/2 cups semolina flour, finest grind
11/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2 tablespoons extra-virgin oilWash the spinach carefully in 2 or 3 changes
of water. Cut off 1 inch of the stems. Chop the leaves and puree them in a
towel or napkin and squeeze the juice into a measuring cup. (Use a towel or
napkin that you don�t mind using only for this purpose, because spinach
juice stains.) There should be about 1/4 cup of juice. Stir 2 tablespoons of
the spinach puree into the spinach juice and reserve. Discard the remaining
puree.
Combine the flours in the food processor with salt. With the motor running,
add the eggs, olive oil, and enough of the spinach mixture through the feed
tube so that the dough forms a ball pressed together. Wrap the dough in
plastic and let it rest at room temperature, for at least 2 hours.
Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll and cut 1 at a time as desired.
Keep. The unrolled dough covered to prevent it from drying. Place any cut
pasta on baking sheets that have been liberally dusted with semolina.
Notes: The unrolled dough should be refrigerated after it has relaxed for 2
hours. Plan to use it within 24 hours. For best results, cut pasta may be
refrigerated up to 24 hours before using or it may be left to air dry. For
longer storage, Freeze the cut pasta, then wrap it tightly in plastic and
return to the freezer. It will keep 3 to 4 weeks if carefully wrapped.
Yield: 1 1/2 pounds
Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, The Wolfgang Puck Cookbook, Random House,
1986
Regular Pasta Dough: 11/2 cups semolina flour, finest grind 11/2 cups
all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 4 eggs 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive
oil
Place the flours in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the
salt, eggs, and olive oil. Process until the dough begins to mass on the
blade (about 1-2 minutes).
Remove the dough from the processor and press it into a ball. Wrap in
plastic and let rest at least 2 hours in the refrigerator before rolling and
cutting. (Rolling the dough by hand is extremely tedious; with a small pasta
machine and cutting attachment, you will save time and produce a much more
uniform product.)
Notes: The pasta can be made by hand or in an electric mixer fitted with a
dough hook. For each of these methods, mix the dry ingredients together
first, make a well in the center, add the wet ingredients and mix them
together slowly until everything is combined well. Wrap in a plastic.
Yield: 1 1/2 pounds
Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, The Wolfgang Puck Cookbook, Random House,
1986Chicken Stock:
Bones from 2 chickens, chopped into pieces
1 small carrot, peeled and sliced
1 small onion, quartered
1 small stalk celery, sliced
Stems from 1 bunch parsley
3 to 4 green leek leaves, sliced (optional)
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1 pinch dried thyme
Bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns
Mushroom scraps (optional)
Tomato scraps (optional)
4 quarts water, approximatelyIn a stockpot, place the chicken bones, then
add all the remaining ingredients except the water. Add water to cover by 2
inches, bring it to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer the mixture for 2 or
3 hours, skimming the surface scum form the stock as it collects.
Strain the stock into a clean pot, and grease it thoroughly. Bring the stock
to a boil, and reduce it over moderate heat to 2 quarters.
Use the stuck immediately or let it cool to room temperature and refrigerate
or freeze until needed.
Notes: To make demi-glace chicken, duck, veal, etc., reduce stock until it
is slightly syrupy and the flavor is concentrated.
Yield: 2 quarts
Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, The Wolfgang Puck Cookbook, Random House,
1986
K A S T
SAHM 39yrs old
Mother of a child whom passed 10 yrs ago..May he rest in peace..
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