Butternut Squash Ravioli

Is there anything better than crisp fall weather and autumnal foods?! From apple crisp to pumpkin pie to a bowl of Mom's chili? Fall has definitely got me in the mood to make seasonal recipes and I have been trying my hand at a variety of homemade pasta recipes so when I found this Butternut Squash recipe on the 100 Days of Real Food blog I knew I had to give it a try. I adapted it a bit (mostly because I just wanted to use ingredients I hand). The blog is really neat, it explains how to cut out processed foods, etc. I don't know if I am committed to giving up processed foods completely, but I have really been trying to use more whole, unprocessed foods and cook with seasonal produce etc. 

Dough

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
• a few teaspoons water (as needed for consistency) 

Filling 

• 2 1/2 lbs butternut squash, cooked
• 1 tablespoons melted butter
• zest of 1 large orange
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese (if you can't find it you can you cream cheese)
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• salt and pepper, to taste  

Sauce

• 1/2 cup butter
• chopped pecans
• dried cranberries or cherries 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut the butternut squash lenghwise, remove seeds and place cut side down on a greased baking sheet or parchment paper on a baking sheet and cook until fork tender-- cooking time will vary depending on the size of the squash but anywhere from 30 min- 1 hour.  

Mix the flour and eggs together in a food processor or knead by hand (If the dough resembles little pebbles when you finish pulsing it, add water by the 1/2 teaspoon until it forms a ball). Once the dough starts to form a ball, turn out onto a floured surface and knead by hand until the dough is not sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest for at least 30 minutes. 

While the dough is resting, make the filling by combining all of the filling ingredients. This can also be done a day in advance and refrigerated.

Roll out the dough either by hand or with a pasta machine, if using a pasta machine, setting #4 is a good thickness. Place the pasta sheets on floured baking sheets and fill with spoonfulls of filling, making sure to leave space in between each. Brush the space in between the filling with an egg wash (egg beaten with a bit of water) so that it is sure to stay sealed. Using a ravioli criper or a knife and then a fork to crimp the sides, cut and seal the raviolis. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and boil raviolis until al dente, about 4 minutes. 

For the sauce: Melt 1/2 cup butter in a pan over medium heat until brown, add chopped pecans and either dried cranberries or cherries. Pour over raviolis and serve immediately.