Pumpkin Ravioli with Parmesan

1. Pumpkins usually grow very large. Even “dessert” varieties can weigh several kilograms. So for the filling it is enough to take a suitable piece. It is better to bake the piece, so the flesh is not wet and the filling keeps its shape. Scrape out all the seeds and fibrous parts with a spoon. There is no need to peel the skin.

   

How to make the pumpkin filling

1. Cut the pumpkin into cubes and place them skin side down on a baking sheet or in a baking dish. Brush the cut side with a little olive oil. Put the sheet in an oven preheated to 200°C. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the flesh is easily pierced with a knife. Take out the pumpkin and let it cool.

   

2. Scrape all the flesh off the skin into a bowl. Mash the pumpkin with a fork so no large pieces remain. Add salt and pepper. Finely grate the Parmesan and add it to the bowl. Add a little ground nutmeg to taste. Mix the filling thoroughly and put it in the refrigerator.

   

How to make the ravioli dough

1. Sift 2 cups of durum wheat flour (260 g) into a large bowl. It is essentially semolina, fairly coarsely ground. You can buy it in shops, and it is ideal for making any kind of pasta at home. The package always says semola di grano duro. Add 1 heaped tbsp of regular flour (15 g) or Italian soft flour, farina.

   

2. Crack one egg into a glass and add the yolk of a second one. Add water so that the total volume is about 170-180 ml. Pour the mixture into the flour. Knead the dough. Adding the soft flour in small portions, bring the dough to a consistency where it stops sticking to your hands. Roll the dough into a ball, put it on a saucer and cover with an upturned plate. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Then knead it once more by hand.

   

How to shape the ravioli

1. To roll the dough thin you can use a rolling pin or a special pasta machine. Do whatever is more convenient for you. Divide the dough into four parts and roll them out one at a time into strips 1-1.2 mm thick. To keep the dough from drying out, it is best to work with one part only and keep the rest under an upturned bowl.

   

2. It is best to shape ravioli with a cutter. They are inexpensive and come in many shapes and sizes. Cut the strip in half. On one strip, make light marks with the cutter as a guide for placing the filling. Put 1 tsp of pumpkin filling on each marked spot. It should not spread. Run a wet finger along the edges of the marked area, as the dough needs to be slightly moistened.

   

3. Cover the strip with filling with the second half. Now comes a very important moment. You need to press the top dough to the bottom, pushing out all the air around the filling. If you do not, the pressure of the steam will tear the shell during cooking and all the filling will end up in the pot.

   

4. Press the two layers of dough together with your fingers; they stick thanks to the moisture. Then cut out the filled piece in a single motion of the cutter. If it does not separate completely, just help it with your fingers. You should get a scalloped edge. It does not hurt to check the quality. Put all the prepared pumpkin ravioli on a plate sprinkled with flour.

   

5. Knead the leftover dough together with the next fresh piece, then roll it out and make a new batch of filled pasta. I got 36 pieces of 6×6 cm. If you have dough left over, you can separately make a few ricotta ravioli or cottage cheese ravioli. If you have filling left over, I suggest adding durum wheat flour to it and making pumpkin gnocchi, which can sit in the refrigerator until the next day.

   

How to cook

1. The simplest way is to boil the filled pasta. Pour 4-5 l of water into a pot and add 1 tsp of salt (6 g). Bring the water to a boil, then add the pasta. It is better to cook not all the prepared pieces at once but half of them, or just one portion, 8-10 pieces. Cooking time is 5-6 minutes from the start of boiling, at a gentle simmer. It is best to stir them with a plastic or wooden spatula.

   

2. Melt a piece of butter; it can be hot or warm, as you like. Shave the Parmesan into flakes with a knife; a swivel-blade potato peeler makes this easy. Put the ravioli on a plate: take them out one by one with a slotted spoon and let the water drain. Pour the butter over the pasta and sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Add freshly ground black pepper as well.

   

3. Serve the dish right away, while the pasta is hot. Grated Parmesan is usually served on the side too, and the more of it, the better. Ravioli should not be frozen; it is better to cook them right before eating.