Brown butter combined with sage is a classic combination, so much so that I caught Giada, Mario and Emeril on tv all combining it for pasta sauce. I am just starting to find uses for the sage plant I have had for the last year. Sage is a perennial plant and is quite hard to kill. This is a great thing for those of us lacking a green thumb. In fact I have actually proved sage’s heartiness; Last year I took very poor care of the plant and yet it came back quite healthy this season.
I chose to use Emeril’s ravioli recipe because I really liked the idea of the butternut squash filling. Plus, I really did want a good day of fussing. So with the Scrubs marathon on and the rain coming down against the windows I started in on the stuffed pasta. I practiced a variety of different shapes as this was only my second attempt at stuffed pasta. After a few tries and a couple of googles I finally understood how to make tortellini. I foresee a full post on this in the future. For the bulk of the pasta I made raviolis as I didn’t have a good circle cutter.
All and all, it turned out really well. I was very impressed with the filling and the combination with the sage butter. I would recommend to drizzle the sage sauce over the butternut squash ravioli as it is very very rich. It also gave me a good opportunity to practice my stuffed pasta skills of which I have more or less none. The verdict? It certainly didn’t look all that pretty but it tasted amazing!
A couple of pasta making tips: don’t let the pasta dry out at all when making stuffed pasta, it makes it really hard to seal. Dabbing water on the part you are about to seal is key. Also, make sure your filling isn’t too wet. My previous attempt was with a ricotta based filling and it was simply to wet for my low level skills.
9T butter
2 shallots, minced
1 butternut squash
3T whipping cream
6T Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 recipe pasta dough, rolled on thinnest setting
12 fresh sage leaves
1T parsley, chopped fine
salt and pepper for seasoning.
1. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds and stringy bits. Place cut-side down on a cookie sheet and bake in a 400F oven for an hour. Once cool enough to handle scoop flesh into a food processor and blend. Set aside.
2. In a large fry pan melt 1t butter and saute the shallots for a minute. Add the squash and cook, stirring, until the mixture is slightly dry – about 2-3 mins. Season. Add the cream and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stuff in 3t cheese. Set aside to cool to room temperature before using.
3. I recommend working with strips about 12″s long so you can do 4 at a time. Cut two sheets, one about 3″x12″ and one slightly longer about 3″x14′. Place a 1T of the filling one inch in from the end of the smaller piece of pastry and another two inches away ..etc. See picture on right. With your finger or a brush lightly wet the pasta dough around the filling to allow it to stick. Place the longer piece of dough on top and working from one end to another cup the sough around the filling and gently press around trying to remove all the air as you go. Once all raviolis have been sealed divide with a knife. Place the pasta on waxed cookie sheet and store\freeze until you are ready to use.
4. When ready to cook pasta put water on and bring to a boil. When boiling start brown butter sauce. Melt remaining butter in a saucepan. Add sage and cook until the butter starts to brown. Turn the heat down and cook the pasta.
5. To serve plate the pasta, spoon the sauce overtop and garnish with parsley and parmesan.
More Pasta Recipes you may find helpful:
Almond, Spinach and Cilantro Pesto – including a step by step fresh pasta guide!
Pumpkin, Walnut and Zucchini Macaroni
Zucchini, Tomato, Peppers and Goat Cheese Pasta
Spicy Sausage and Mushroom Taglietelle
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Very impressive. I’ve never made pasta from scratch. Sage is one of my favorite herbs. It reminds me of my grandmother who always had it growing by her kitchen door. Fried sage leaves are quite wonderful as a garnish on anything that has sage in it if you haven’t tried them. I wondered what the fuss was about until I tried them myself.
Fried sage leaves are wonderful! When you make the sage butter you end up with fried sage, super crispy and to die for – and much like you said I didn’t get it before tasting it either.
I would defintely recommend making your own pasta, in fact I am just about to make a fresh pasta dish as we speak…
Just found your blog and it is fantastic. I, too, have had difficulty knowing what to do with my abundant sage plant. I have found a cookie recipe that uses sage. It turned out really well. Check it out!
http://garlicpress.wordpress.com/2007/01/11/apricot-sage-and-orange-chocolate-cookies-3-2/
First of all let me state that this recipe sounds amazing, however I don’t know if you’ll approve of this comment. I have a bachelors degree in cooking and about a year ago found practically the same recipe except they put marijuana in it also. I personally don’t like to get high, but the smell and taste I could die for. Sounds like an idea if you’re not opposed to the whole “drug” thing. On the other hand I consider alcohol to be just as bad and to each their own.
Anthony – thats funny, I have no problem with that. Not sure I will try it but hey… did they put it in the filling?
I couldn’t agree with you more about it being only as bad as alcohol.
I have tons of butternut squash from my garden this year and I started making pasta last year so this was a great find. Aside from making the ravioli from scratch the rest was fairly easy. I make homeade baskets for Christmas gifts and I believe this is going in them. Thanks for sharing.
Chris 10/15/2009
So glad to hear that you like it Chris! Its nice to see some of my older recipes are still being found
how many servings does this recipe make?
At least 2, though I haven’t tested this recipe in many years I am afraid. I suspect it serves 4, sorry!