Why give your kids Play Dough when they can make you dinner? It’s much the same!
This dish comes in two parts, the ravioli and the sauce. It needs a little preparation but the result is excellent and well worth the effort.
Ravioli
If you have a (dusty) pasta rolling machine at the back of the cupboard your task will be simple. If you can’t find it, look behind the popcorn popping machine and the automatic bread maker! Otherwise a rolling pin works just as well.
Ravioli Ingredients
500gs of ‘Tipo 00’ fine flour, plus a little for dusting
5 large eggs
2 tablespoons of olive oil
400g pumpkin to roast, any variety, I used Kent Pumpkin. Butternut or Grey will work equally well.
Pasta sauce ingredients
One brown onion, chopped
Two tins of chopped tomatoes
1 cup hot water
A handful of fresh basil leaves or a teaspoon of dried basil flakes
2 heaped tablespoons of Leggo’s tomato paste
1 teaspoon Massel powdered chicken stock
a sprinkle of nutmeg
a sprinkle of cinnamon
Murray River Pink Salt
Cracked or freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200c. Coarsely chop your pumpkin and lightly coat with olive oil and Murray River pink salt. Place on a baking tray on baking paper and pop into the oven.
To make the pasta: Combine the flour, the eggs and the oil on a benchtop. Mix it into a dough and knead it over and over until it is firm and well joined. This pasta dough should be hard. It is hard work to knead it. If it is too hard add some olive oil. Form a ball and wrap it in Glad Wrap and leave on the bench to rest for 30 mins.
Start making your sauce. Gently fry your chopped onion in olive oil. Once browned add the chopped tomatos and the tomato paste. Add your basil, Massel chicken stock, hot water, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Bring it to the boil and then turn it down, covered, to the lowest possible setting and let it slowly flavour up. Give it a stir every five minutes to ensure nothing has stuck to the base. It will be ready once the ravioli is ready to cook.
When your dough has rested for 30 mins, cut off about a fifth of the ball and start to roll it through your pasta machine or rolling pin. Roll it nice and thin. Roll several long sheets and put them aside.
Once your roast pumpkin is roasted and soft remove it from the oven and mash it with a potato masher. Gently lay out small balls of your mashed pumpkin onto the pasta sheets (as in the photos) and fold the sheet over the pumpkin to form the ravioli envelope. Ensure to leave room on the sides to seal the ravioli pieces. Now gently press the pasta around the pumpkin filling and seal off each piece. Once you have a complete run, cut each piece out. Seal the ends by pressing along the edge with a fork.
When they are all done, turn off your tomato pasta sauce and let it rest.
To cook the ravioli: boil water with a pinch of salt. Once boiled, place the ravioli pieces into the boiling water. They will cook in about three minutes. When they are ready they will float to the top. Given them an extra ten seconds before removing them to a colander to drain. Cook all the ravioli, pour over the tomato and basil sauce, sprinkle a little (a lot) of Grana Padano grated Parmesan cheese and eat.
This dish is a winner and a keeper!
Brendan Blake
