Pumpkin ravioli with sage butter

Impress your friends with Rick Stein’s homemade pumpkin ravioli – perfect for a show off dinner party dish.

Ingredients

• 450g/1lb piece of pumpkin
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• large pinch of fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• 1 medium egg, yolk only
• 25g/1oz parmesan cheese, grated, plus extra to serve
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 amaretti biscuits, crushed
• 15g/1oz fresh white breadcrumbs
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

For the fresh egg pasta

• 225g/8oz plain flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp olive oil
• 2 medium eggs
• 4 medium eggs, yolks only

For the sage butter

• 75g/3oz unsalted butter
• 20 small sage leaves
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Cut the piece of pumpkin into wedges and scoop out the seeds. Put into a roasting tin, sprinkle over the oil, fennel seeds and some seasoning and turn over once or twice.
3. Roast for 30 minutes until tender. Leave until cool enough to handle and then scoop the flesh away from the skin.
4. Put the flesh in a bowl and mash to a smooth purée with a fork. Stir in the egg yolk, parmesan, nutmeg, amaretti biscuits, breadcrumbs and seasoning to taste.
5. For the pasta dough, put all the pasta ingredients into a food processor and blend until they come together into a ball.
   
   
   Watch technique3:36 mins
6. Tip the dough on to a work surface and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest for 10 - 15 minutes.
   
   
   Watch technique1:58 mins
7. Bring a large pan of well-salted water (one teaspoon salt per 600ml/1 pint water) to the boil.
8. To make the ravioli, cut the pasta dough into quarters and, working with one piece at a time, roll out using a pasta machine, lightly dusting the dough with flour between rolls and finishing on setting number five.
   
   
   Watch technique3:22 mins
9. Place the piece of dough on a floured surface and make small indentations over the bottom half of it at 6cm/2½in intervals, 2½cm/1in from the edges.
10. Place a teaspoon of the pumpkin filling on each mark and then brush lines of water between them.
11. Fold over the top half of the dough and, working from the centre of the line outwards, press firmly around each pile of filling with your fingers to push out any trapped air and seal in the filling.
12. Trim off the edges and then cut between the rows with a sharp knife or a fluted pasta wheel. You should make about eight or ten ravioli (5 x 5cm/2 x 2in each). Repeat with the remaining three pieces of dough.
13. If you are not going to eat the ravioli immediately, drop them into the boiling water as you make each batch and cook for just one minute, then lift out with a slotted spoon and drop into a bowl of cold water.
14. Drain and lay out on lightly oiled trays, cover with cling film and chill until needed. Then drop back into boiling salted water just before serving and cook for three minutes.
15. Alternatively cook them all at once for a total of four minutes. Drain well and tip into a large, warmed serving bowl.
16. For the sage butter, melt the butter in a large frying pan until foaming, throw in the sage and fry for a few seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon juice and some slat and pepper to taste.
17. Pour the sage butter over the ravioli, with some grated parmesan cheese if liked.
18. Serve immediately.