Acorn Squash and Sage Ravioli With Citrus Alfredo Sauce

I was once invited to make some Christmas raviolis with a group of Italian women from Boston, but sadly couldn’t make it.  I did manage to get the “how-to” part of the dough from one of the lovely women, and in the ten or so years that have past I’ve taken  many opportunities to make the quick and easy dough and create fillings to my heart’s content!  This recipe for squash raviolis is a wonderful dish that’s fun to make, and each step produces delicious results.  The acorn squash filling is just great and  makes a special side dish all on it’s own. The alfredo sauce is tremendous and I will absolutely make another pasta dish (perhaps chicken?) with it.  If you’ve never had a sage/orange/acorn squash combination dish before I encourage you to try it – they work beautifully together. 

Ingredients for Squash Ravioli Filling:

•  1 acorn squash
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 fresh sage leaves, plus one teaspoon chopped
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• Additional 1/2 tsp. orange zest

How to roast Acorn Squash: (recipe calls for one, multiply for making a squash side dish)

• Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds.
• Put 1 tablespoon of butter, and a fresh sage leaf  and the orange zest into the cavity of each squash half.
• Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes, uncovered. When tender, set aside to cool

• When the roasted squash is cooled, remove the sage leaves, scoop the flesh out with a spoon into a medium mixing bowl and buzz it down quickly with a stick blender or in a food processor.
•  Add the 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, a teaspoon of chopped sage, the 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest, salt and pepper to taste and combine.
• While the squash is roasting and cooling, make the ravioli dough. Ravioli dough is extremely forgiving, takes only a few minutes to put together, and you don’t need a pasta machine to make it great.

Ravioli Dough Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tabsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage (optional)

To make the ravioli dough:

• Into a mixer with dough hook attached, put 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Combine.
• Mix in two whole eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides occasionally.
• Slowly drizzle in about a tablespoon of olive oil and when the dough begins to form into a ball, remove, knead briefly and set aside wrapped in plastic wrap for it to relax 1/2 hour or so.
• After 1/2 hour, using a rolling pin, roll out dough to a thin but still manageable thickness. I wanted to make this dish extra special, so I put some chopped sage onto half of my rolled out dough, folded the other half over and rolled it out again.
• Now cut out ravioli rounds, using a water glass or other cirular shape you prefer.

• Put a mound of the cooled filling in the center, and another round on top. Use a small glass or a shot glass to firm up the filling toward the center, getting out air bubbles but not cutting through the dough.

• There are a couple of good and simple ways to seal raviolis – you can press a fork all around them, careful not to pierce the dough, or wet the edges of the bottom circle and press the top circle of dough on top of that and press firmly to seal.

Either way you seal them, just don’t overfill!

Orange-Sage Alfredo Sauce Recipe:

• 1 Orange, juiced
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp fresh sage, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

While filling the raviolis, reduce the juice of the orange on the stove at a low simmer. It takes a while to reduce the juice (about 20 minutes) but a concentrated flavor won’t thin out the Alfredo sauce.

Directions to make the Alfredo Sauce:

• Reduce 1/2 cup of cream at a low boil, stirring occasionally, for ten minutes. *The important thing here is it is the only time the sauce will boil. When adding the cheese and juice – do not boil because it will be grainy, or break.
• Add 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese and the grated parmesan cheese, a bit at a time, stirring all the while. It takes just a couple of minutes until the cheeses are incorporated, at which point slowly add the orange juice, continuing to stir.
•  A little more chopped sage, salt and pepper – and that’s it!

How to boil the ravioli:

Place the ravioli into a large pot of simmering salted water. Cooking slowly and gently for twelve to fifteen minutes – cooking time will vary depending on how thinly the dough is rolled out. The gentle treatment will help the raviolis stay together.

When tender, drain the raviolis. Now everything is set for putting together!

Place the ravioli (three is a good serving portion) onto a plate and cover with some of the alfredo sauce. garnish with sage leaves, more orange zest and orange segments if you like, and dig in…..Enjoy!