Festive Ravioli with Butternut Squash & Amaretti

Agnolotti with butternut squash and amaretti biscuits are my favourite festive ravioli around winter. They are very special and different from any other usual ravioli because of the sweet amaretti biscuit in the filling. I also like to add some more crushed on top of the ravioli for some crunch! I hope and I'm sure you'll love them too. 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 200g Durum wheat semolina
• 100ml Warm water
• 0.25g Saffron
• 1 Butternut squash
• 250g Ricotta
• 30g Grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 40g Crunchy amaretti biscuits
• 100g Butter
• 5g Sage

Method

1. To make the pasta dough, add the saffron to the warm water and give it a stir. Add the semolina to a bowl and slowly add the saffron water in the middle, and stir with a fork. Transfer the mixture to a worktable and knead with your hands, stretching and folding. If the dough is sticky, add a pinch of semolina; if too dry, add 1-2 tsp of water. Knead for 8-10 mins until smooth and bouncy. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 mins.​
2. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Peel and clean the inside of the butternut squash, then carefully slice it into big wedges and place it on a baking tray. Rub with extra virgin olive oil and season with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Roast for 1 hour, or until the squash is soft and golden.
3. Once cool enough to handle, add the roasted squash to a bowl and mash with the ricotta. Add the grated cheese and crush in 2/3 of the Amaretti biscuits. Mix everything well together. Taste, adjust the seasoning, transfer to a piping bag, and place in the fridge.
4. Roll the dough to a thickness of 2mm. If working in a small space, cut the sheets into 4 equal pieces and work with 1 at a time. Arrange the dough so that the long side is facing you. Leaving a 2.5cm space at the bottom of the sheet, pipe the squash mixture down the length of the dough as shown in the video (See below).
5. Very lightly brush water around the filling. Fold the long side closest to you over your filling, extending it at least one 2cm past the filling. Once your dough is folded over, press down the length to seal. Using your index fingers and thumbs on both hands, pinch the dough on either side of the filling into equally-sized sections, sealing the dough and creating “pillow” shapes. 
6. Using a pasta cutter, trim the long side of your dough furthest from you about 1.5cm from the mounds of filling. Then trim the short ends to create tidy edges all around the agnolotti. Now cut between each mound of filling to make individual pieces of pasta. Transfer your agnolotti to a semolina-dusted sheet tray and repeat the previous steps with your remaining dough and filling.
7. Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water for 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, place a large frying pan on medium heat and add the butter and the sage along with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fry gently for 2 minutes until you get brown butter. Remove the sage leaves and set aside. Now scoop in some starchy cooking water to create a creamy brown butter sauce.
8. Add the pasta straight into the buttery sauce, bringing more starchy cooking water with it if needed. Toss gently, then spoon onto warmed plates. Garnish each portion with the remaining crushed amaretti on top and enjoy!

Watch the recipe video

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