Ladies and Gentlemen, I bought a HUGE pumpkin. As in eight pounds huge. I had back pains after lugging it home from the farmer’s market. I’ve been wanting to make pumpkin-filled ravioli ever since eyeing a super easy recipe in the November issue of Bon Appetit. A few weeks ago, I picked up the ingredients, including a pumpkin, at my neighborhood grocery store, only to wake up one morning to a rotten pumpkin! With the acquisition of this huge pumpkin, I got antsy every time I looked at it, in fear it would rot as well. So one evening, I roasted the whole thing. I had lots of plans for the puree beyond the ravioli- this cake, these pancakes. But life got in the way, and dinner was more pressing- whatever wasn’t used in the ravioli was stirred into soup.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I love pumpkin ravioli. At restaurants, if it’s on the menu, it always secures a spot in my ordering dilemma. If you’re anything like me, you’ll want this recipe in your arsenal. It’s so easy, you start with a pumpkin puree- all it involves is roasting it in the oven, peeling back the skin, taking out the seeds, and scooping out the gorgeous orange flesh. Opening a can might be easier, but your house wont smell all warm and autumnal- because if there’s a smell that says autumn this is it.
Next, you add parmesan, lemon zest, salt and pepper and you’ve got your filling.
Now, you’ll lay out your wonton wrappers, dip a finger in egg yolk, and draw over the edges of each. With a teaspoon, you’ll place a drop of filling, and then fold it over, running your fingers along the edges to make sure they are tight. I like this kind of kitchen work, repetitive and simple, freeing my mind to wander. Meanwhile you’ll want to get a big pot of water boiling. In will go the ravioli, in one or two batches, for just a few minutes. And then they get a quick shove into a pan swirled with crème fraiche and butter. Topped with Parmesan and toasted pumpkin seeds, they make a surprisingly quick and extremely delicious dinner.
Pumpkin Ravioli with Creme Fraiche
From Bon Appetit
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree*
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for sprinkling
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
Salt and pepper
18 round or square wonton wrappers
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup creme fraiche
Pumpkin seeds, shelled and toasted
1. In a medium bowl, mash the pumpkin puree with the Parmesan, sugar, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Arrange wonton wrappers on a work surface, and brush edges with lightly beaten egg.
3. Place 1 teaspoon of filling on the bottom half of each wrapper, and fold the top half over, gently pressing the edges to seal tightly.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the ravioli until just tender, about 3 minutes.
5. Melt butter and creme fraiche in a saute pan. Add ravioli and 2 tablespoons of the pasta cooking liquid; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with grated Parmesan and toasted pumpkin seeds.
*Making your own pumpkin puree is super easy: Preheat oven to 400F, and poke holes into the top of your pumpkin with a sharp knife. Place in a baking dish and roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until skin is easily pierced and inside is very soft. Cut off top of pumpkin, and scoop out seeds; discard both. Peel, and discard skin. Place pumpkin in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth. (Will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator or up to 1 month in the freezer.)
And so how did it taste? Was it as good as in the restaurants? Better?
Yoktan! They were very delicious! Even better than those I’ve had in restaurants ;)
This looks suuuper tasty! :)
I bought some frozen pumpkin tortelloni at the store, and wanted to recreate a restaurant dish – pumpkin ravioli with swiss chard, garlic, hazelnut pesto. I was unpleasantly surprised to discover that the insides of my tortelloni were sweetened beyond edibility and were also spiced like a pie. Yuck. Should have made my own! :)
(PS – hope you’re doing well!)
Hi Monica! Sorry the tortellini weren’t good. The restaurant dish sounds delicious though! It’s super easy to make your own if you start with wonton wrappers. Btw, your trip to Italy looked like so much fun! xo
Looks very good, and the pictures too, especially the last one on the pan…
Thanks, Mima!
PHOTOGRAPHY is you calling my dear. It looks DELICIOUS!!! Miss you!
Thanks sweetie! You’re going to like this next post ;) Miss you too.
נראה מעולה!!!
אפשר לקנות בארץ את ה wonton wrappers?
Hi Keren! In Israel, you should be able to find wonton wrappers at Asian specialty stores, like the “East West” store in Machane Yehuda (Agripas 47).
http://www.eastwest-food.co.il/ntext.asp?psn=901
If anyone has any other ideas, let us know!