Butternut Squash Ravioli With Sage Butter

DIRECTIONS

• Mix 300 g plain flower and 1/2 tsp of salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour. Add 3 eggs to the well. With a fork, beat the eggs and gradually draw in the flour. With your hands, mix in as much of the flour as needed to make a rough dough. You may not need to incorporate all the flour. Or if the dough is too sticky, you may need to sprinkle over a little extra flour. As soon as the dough begins to form a ball turn it out onto a work surface lightly dusted with flour. Knead the dough until smooth, elastic and no longer sticky, about 10 minutes. Wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. (You can make the dough in two batches - mix 300 g of flour with 1/2 tsp of salt and 3 eggs, then repeat with the remaining 300 g of flower, salt and 3 eggs, for easier kneading).
• Sprinkle some sea salt on pumpkin and put it in the oven to cook at 200C for about 40 minutes. Check if it's ready with a fork. It should be fairly soft.
• While the pumpkin is cooking, set the ricotta cheese in a sieve lined with cheese cloth over a bowl for the extra liquid to drain.
• When the squash is cooked, spoon out its flesh into a bowl, add the ricotta, a pinch of nutmeg, some salt and pepper and mix well.
• Roll the pasta dough using a machine or a rolling pin into long sheets and place one sheet in a well-floured ravioli form. Press it into the form, so that little wells for the filling will form.
• Spoon the ricotta and squash mix into the wells, but don't overfill them, because excess filling will spread around the dough when rolling. Brush the dough around the mix with water, and cover with another pasta sheet. Roll with the rolling pin on top to cut into individual ravioli. (Alternatively, simply lay a pasta sheet on a floured working surface, place teaspoons of the squash mis in 2 rows at 5 cm intervals, leaving a 2 cm border around the edges. Brush the dough around the edges with water. Top with another pasta sheet and press the edges together to dal. Cut into squares with a ravioli cutter or a knife).
• To make the sage-butter sauce, melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes until the sage is crisp and the butter is light golden. Don't let your eyes off the pan at this stage, as butter and sage leaves burn easily.
• Cook half the ravioli in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 5-8 minutes or until al dente. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining pasta. Divide the ravioli among serving bowls and spoon over the sage-butter sauce.