Butternut Squash Ravioli

The first time I tried butternut squash, it was a defrosted puree version from a freezer-burned paper box.
Needless to say, I wasn't blown away by the muted orange mush that came out of it. I knew there had to be more to this popular winter vegetable than its amusing phallic shape.

Fresh butternut squash has since become one of my all-time favorite veggies. Most of the time I serve it with sage or rosemary as a side dish, blend it for soups or swirl it into a creamy risotto. Then I discovered Giada's recipe for homemade butternut squash tortellini. God bless you, you unbearably skinny Italian beauty.

Savvy readers will notice that my version looks nothing like tortellini, but more like ravioli. Cut me some slack. I'm not Italian.

Dice a butternut squash into 1-inch pieces, then coat with olive oil, salt and pepper and herbs and roast for 30 minutes. In a skillet, saute shallots and garlic in a little olive oil.

Once the squash is roasted, blend it in a food processor with 1 cup of ricotta cheese and the sauteed onions.

Don't hate on my 1962 food processor. Vintage is in.

Throw in four crushed amaretti cookies. Don't question this seemingly odd ingredient; more dinners should include cookies. Blend squash, ricotta, and cookies till smooth.

Now for the labor-intensive part. Using wonton wrappers, roll up the filling into cute little 

packages. The recipe calls for a different shape altogether, but I found that folding them in half and crimping the edges to be easiest. Use a pastry brush dipped in water to seal the edges.

Right before boiling the ravioli, whip up a brown butter sauce. A little nutmeg, a little sage, salt and pepper. To finish, I threw in walnuts for crunch and currants for a touch of sweetness. 

Boil for four minutes. They're ready when they float to the top.

Victory is mine! I was expecting them to burst in the water and 

send squash flying all over my stockpot. 

Grate some parmesan over the top to serve. Mangia bellas!