Butternut Squash Tortellini
Yields: 4 Portions
Ingredients:
Pasta Dough, see recipe
1 pc. Butternut squash
1 pc. Shallot
3 pc. Garlic
½ cup Water
Freshly Grated Cinnamon – Too Taste
Freshly Grated Nutmeg – Too Taste
8 pc. White Pearl Onions
2 oz Black Winter Truffles
4 oz Sweet Butter
4 leaves fresh sage
2 oz Cranberry Juice
1 oz Champagne Vinegar
½ Cup Dry Cranberries
½ cup Ricotta Cheese
2 oz Heavy Cream
1 egg
½ cup flour
2 oz Cooking Oil
Special Equipment:
Blender
Pasta Roller
3 inch Ring Cutter
Truffle Slicer
Method of Preparation:
Pasta Filling:
Peel and de-seed the butternut squash. Then cut the squash, shallot, and garlic into large dice. Heat a medium size pot over medium heat. When the pot becomes hot, add 1 TB of cooking oil and start to sweet the onion and garlic until tender without any color. Then add the butternut squash and water to the pot. Cook the squash until it becomes extremely tender. Once tender, remove the pot from the heat and add to the blender. Blend the squash until smooth and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Let filling cool and reserve until making the tortellini's.
Making the Pasta:
Roll a sheet of pasta dough out on the 1 setting, which should be very thin. With the 3inch round cutter start to cut out circles of pasta. For four portions we should have about 20 circles of pasta. Lay the circles out on a dry and clean surface and put about ½ teaspoon of filling into the middle of each circle. Then beat one egg and start to lightly smear some egg wash around the outer portion of the pasta circle, around the filling. Then with a folding motion, fold the pasta over making a half moon shape. Make sure all the filling stays inside the half moon and try to remove all air pockets from the pocket of filling. After all the circles are made into half moons, smear some more egg wash on the tips of the half moon and fold again by meeting the two tips on the middle and press, forming our tortellini’s. Reserve until needed. These tortellini’s can be made a day ahead, or even weeks ahead by freezing them.
Ricotta Cheese Sauce:
Slice 2 cloves of garlic very thin. Heat a small pot over medium heat, when the pot is hot add 1 TB cooking oil. Then add lightly toast the garlic slices. When the garlic begins to brown, add the heavy cream and ricotta cheese. Let simmer for about 2 minutes and then blend until smooth.
Cranberry Sage Brown Butter:
Slice the sage leaves very thin and mince the dry cranberries. In a small sauce pan, brown 4 oz’s of sweet butter until the milk solids begin to brown. When the butter is brown add the sage, cranberries, cranberry juice, and champagne vinegar. Let sauce simmer 2 minutes and then remove and reserve until needed.
Cooking the Pearl Onions:
Cut the pearl onions in half. Heat a small pan over high heat and add 1 TB cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add the pearl onions face side down. When the onions start to brown, flip over and turn off the heat. Season with salt and pepper and reserve until plating.
Plating the Pasta:
Have a large pot of salted water boiling. Drop the tortellini’s in the boiling water and allow to cook for a least 8 minutes. When the tortellinis are cooked, add them to the cranberry brown butter sauce and toss a couple of times to coat each tortellini. In a large bowl, add the tortellini’s, cranberry butter sauce, ricotta cheese sauce, and onions in a nicely fashion and garish the dish with fresh shaved black truffles.