Pumpkin Filling
1/2 of a pie pumpkin, cooked and cut into chunks*
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
2-3 TB. butter, plus some for tossing the ravioli in
1/4 C. Parmesan cheese, plus some for tossing the ravioli in
Ravioli
1-1/2 to 2 C. flour
2 TB. oil
2 eggs
2-3 TB. water
1/4 tsp. salt
To make the ravioli, mix together flour and salt. Make a well and knead in the eggs and oil. Add in the water as necessary for consistency. The dough should be tough but cohesive. Remove the dough to an unfloured surface and knead further until it is smooth and elastic. Set it aside wrapped in plastic wrap (or other means to prevent it drying out) and let it rest at elast 2 hours. After the dough has rested, divide it into two portions and roll each out into 1/8 inch thickness (3 mm). Cut the dough into rounds, making sure there are an even number.
To make the filling, melt the butter in a saucepan, then briefly saute the garlic. Add in the pumpkin and mash it until it is a smooth homogeneous mixture. Add in the cheese and salt, mix to blend, and then remove the pumpkin mixture from the heat.
Put 1 TB. of filling onto half of the rounds. Top these with the remaining rounds by moistening the edges of both, laying the top on the filled round, and crimping the edges well with a fork. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. If desired, you can add some salt and a little oil to the cooking water. Drop in the ravioli a few at a time, removing them to a serving dish with a slotted spoon once they float to the top. Serve tossed in melted butter (or olive oil if you prefer) and sprinkled with parmesan cheese.
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* a "pie" pumpkin, for those unaware, is a different variety of pumpkin from the "jack-o-lantern" pumpkin that you see rowed up at the farmer's market or grocery store around Halloween (if you live in a country that does Halloween). A jack-o-lantern pumpkin's flesh is tough and fibrous and not very good to eat. A pie pumpkin, on the other hand, is much closer to a winter squash (butternut or acorn squash are examples of winter squash). To identify a pie pumpkin from a jack-o-lantern pumpkin (these are not official variety names, by the way) you can a) ask the vendor (if you're at a farmer's market or roadside stand, for example) or b) observe the appearance of the pumpkin. A pie pumpkin is small, about the size of a canteloupe or a little larger, and typically has a rich orange, yellow, or reddish orange rind. It will also feel hefty for its size when you pick it up. A jack-o-lantern pumpkin will be large, typically being the size of a soccer ball at least, and usually larger. You definitely need two hands to pick up most jack-o-lantern pumpkins. Sometimes stores will sell smaller ones for table decor too, so if you're unsure, a jack-o-lantern pumpkin, even a small one, will have a paler, washed-out orange rind typically, and will feel lighter because there is a larger hollow cavity inside. (Whereas the pie pumpkin's interior is filled mainly with flesh intermingled with the seeds.) As you may have guessed by now, a jack-o-lantern pumpkin is not really meant for eating!
1/2 of a pie pumpkin, cooked and cut into chunks*
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
2-3 TB. butter, plus some for tossing the ravioli in
1/4 C. Parmesan cheese, plus some for tossing the ravioli in
Ravioli
1-1/2 to 2 C. flour
2 TB. oil
2 eggs
2-3 TB. water
1/4 tsp. salt
To make the ravioli, mix together flour and salt. Make a well and knead in the eggs and oil. Add in the water as necessary for consistency. The dough should be tough but cohesive. Remove the dough to an unfloured surface and knead further until it is smooth and elastic. Set it aside wrapped in plastic wrap (or other means to prevent it drying out) and let it rest at elast 2 hours. After the dough has rested, divide it into two portions and roll each out into 1/8 inch thickness (3 mm). Cut the dough into rounds, making sure there are an even number.
To make the filling, melt the butter in a saucepan, then briefly saute the garlic. Add in the pumpkin and mash it until it is a smooth homogeneous mixture. Add in the cheese and salt, mix to blend, and then remove the pumpkin mixture from the heat.
Put 1 TB. of filling onto half of the rounds. Top these with the remaining rounds by moistening the edges of both, laying the top on the filled round, and crimping the edges well with a fork. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. If desired, you can add some salt and a little oil to the cooking water. Drop in the ravioli a few at a time, removing them to a serving dish with a slotted spoon once they float to the top. Serve tossed in melted butter (or olive oil if you prefer) and sprinkled with parmesan cheese.
___________
* a "pie" pumpkin, for those unaware, is a different variety of pumpkin from the "jack-o-lantern" pumpkin that you see rowed up at the farmer's market or grocery store around Halloween (if you live in a country that does Halloween). A jack-o-lantern pumpkin's flesh is tough and fibrous and not very good to eat. A pie pumpkin, on the other hand, is much closer to a winter squash (butternut or acorn squash are examples of winter squash). To identify a pie pumpkin from a jack-o-lantern pumpkin (these are not official variety names, by the way) you can a) ask the vendor (if you're at a farmer's market or roadside stand, for example) or b) observe the appearance of the pumpkin. A pie pumpkin is small, about the size of a canteloupe or a little larger, and typically has a rich orange, yellow, or reddish orange rind. It will also feel hefty for its size when you pick it up. A jack-o-lantern pumpkin will be large, typically being the size of a soccer ball at least, and usually larger. You definitely need two hands to pick up most jack-o-lantern pumpkins. Sometimes stores will sell smaller ones for table decor too, so if you're unsure, a jack-o-lantern pumpkin, even a small one, will have a paler, washed-out orange rind typically, and will feel lighter because there is a larger hollow cavity inside. (Whereas the pie pumpkin's interior is filled mainly with flesh intermingled with the seeds.) As you may have guessed by now, a jack-o-lantern pumpkin is not really meant for eating!
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