Pumpkin Ravioli

I am very proud of this meal! I had several firsts making this dinner. It was my first time:

• making ravioli
• trying winter squash ravioli
• and eating ravioli that did not come from a can or a freezer-bag.

What can I say? I've led a very sheltered life.

As far as non-desert pumpkin recipes, ravioli seems to be rather popular so I decided I should give it a try. I wanted to keep my version on the cheap side so there were a few alterations I needed to make. The first challenge I had to figure out was what to do about the pasta. I haven't seen fresh pasta sheets in the local markets so that wasn't a possibility. I love making meals from scratch but I'm not ready to tackle homemade pasta. I settled on wonton wrappers because:

• they're cheap, just $1.89 for a package
• and I can use them in other recipes.

The ravioli are very delicate and can easily go from ravioli to pumpkin puree with noodle sheets. Trust me. I learned a few things cooking two batches of ravioli that just might help you:

• Don't overcrowd the pot because they will stick together.
• When you place the ravioli in the pot, swirl the water a few moments. This will help the ravioli from sticking to each other...and the bottom of the pot. 
• Be very gentle when taking the ravioli from the cooking water. I used a large slotted spin to remove the ravioli one by one from the pot.
• Drizzle the ravioli with a little olive oil after cooking so they don't stick together.

Well, if you would like pumpkin-flavored cream cheese soup, try adding cream cheese. Don't fret my friends! I found another use for that pumpkin-cream cheese concoction (you'll have to check back soon to find out)! So, when the cream cheese did not work, I decided the easiest route was to abandon cheese all together because the pumpkin becomes very creamy, anyway, when slow roasted. I just seasoned the pumpkin puree with salt and red pepper flakes. This was simply perfect!

The last challenge was to take care of the sauce. Sage and butter is a traditional topping for winter squash ravioli but I wanted something more substantial. I was already planning on using shallot (totally worth the extra cost in this case) and garlic. I figured out that if I used them in the sauce, I would have less work to do with the filling. I knew the earthy bitterness of the kale would compliment the sweet and creamy pumpkin.

I have to say, this is the best kale I have ever made! Normally, I just use a little olive oil and go from there. This time, I added some butter to the olive oil. Hello! I love my kale but this particular meal had extremely tender and flavorful kale. I am making this kale again. Enjoy!

Winter Squash Ravioli with Kale

by Ace Nation

Keywords: vegetarian winter squash wonton wrapper

Ingredients

For the Ravioli

• Wonton wrappers
• About 1 cup roasted pumpkin puree
• Kosher salt
• Red pepper flakes or ground black pepper, to taste

For the Kale

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 large shallot, cut into half-moon slices
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups kale (per person), chopped
• 1/4 cup walnuts (per person), toasted and chopped

Instructions

For the Ravioli

Season the pumpkin puree with kosher salt and red pepper flakes (or black pepper) to taste.

Place about 1 1/2 teaspoons of seasoned puree in middle of a wonton wrapper.

Dip a finger in water and run around the edges of one half.

Fold one corner over so that it lines up with the opposite corner.

Press the edges together firmly with your fingers to seal. Set aside finished ravioli and continue the process until you have the desired amount of ravioli.

To cook Ravioli

Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Place ravioli in water being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook about 3 minutes (time may change depending on the brand of wrappers). Very carefully remove from water using a large slotted spoon. Drizzle with olive oil to prevent the ravioli from sticking to each other.

For the Kale

Heat olive oil and butter in a large high-sided skillet over medium-low to medium heat.

Add the shallot to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic, stirring occasionally, cook until tender, about 3 minutes.

Add kale to the pan and season with kosher salt. Place lid on pan and let cook until kale is tender, stirring every few minutes, about 8-10 minutes.

To serve

Place desired amount of ravioli on a plate (about 6-8 per person), top with sauteed kale, and garnish with toasted walnuts.

Enjoy!

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