Squash Sage And Ricotta Cannelloni Recipes

SQUASH, SAGE, AND RICOTTA CANNELLONI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 2-quart or 8-inch square baking dish. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Using tongs, transfer pasta to a lightly oiled rimmed baking sheet. Add squash to boiling water and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain squash and transfer to a bowl.
• In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium. Add shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl with squash and add 2 tablespoons milk, chopped sage, and nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. Mash with a fork until a rough puree forms.
• Spread 1/4 cup squash mixture crosswise down the middle of each lasagna noodle; roll up noodle and place, seam side down, in baking dish. In a bowl, combine ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup milk and season with salt and pepper. Spread ricotta mixture over cannelloni and top with cup Parmesan. Bake until warmed through, about 25 minutes. Broil until top is browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Fry whole sage leaves until crispy, 15 to 20 seconds. Drain on paper towels. Serve cannelloni topped with fried sage.

SQUASH, SAGE, AND RICOTTA CANNELLONI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil a 2-quart or 8-inch square baking dish. In large pot of boiling water, cook pasta until al dente. Using tongs, transfer pasta to a lightly oiled, rimmed baking sheet. Add squash to boiling water and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain squash and transfer to a bowl. In a small skillet heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium. Add shallots, season with salt and pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl with squash and add 2 Tbsps milk, chopped sage, more salt and pepper, and nutmeg. Mash with a fork until a rough mash forms. Spread 1/4 cup squash mixture down the middle of each lasagna noodle; roll up noodle and place seam side down in baking dish. In a bowl, combine ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup milk and season with salt and pepper. Spread ricotta mixture over cannelloni and top with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake until warmed through about 25 minutes. Broil until top is browned, 2-3 minutes.

SQUASH AND SAGE CANNELLONI

Steps:

• (Note: The pasta dough and finished pasta can be made several days in advance. If making pasta with a stand mixer, skip to step 3. If using store-bought dried lasagna noodles, skip to step 4.) Make pasta by hand: On a clean work surface, combine both flours and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour. Carefully add egg yolks and whole egg directly into the well, while using a fork to gently stir and combine. Continue stirring in a circular motion, gradually incorporating some flour from the sides of the well, about 1 minute. (Make sure that the sides of the well are high enough so the egg doesn't spill over.) Next, slowly add the olive oil to the center of the well, stirring the whole time. When eggs and oil are fully combined, scrape mixture off the fork, add it to the dough, and use your hands to add flour and knead. Make sure to incorporate any little pieces of dough that have come off the main mass. Add water as needed. After the dough has come together in a rough mass, continue kneading to activate the gluten until the dough is shiny and uniform in texture, about 5-7 minutes. (There may be a few leftover tablespoons of flour that don't get incorporated into the dough; this is fine.) Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for at least 1 hour at room temperature, up to 2 days in the refrigerator, or 1 week in the freezer. (If frozen, bring to room temperature before moving on to Step 2.)
• Turn the dial of the pasta machine to the widest setting (usually setting number 1 on the dial). Lightly flour the dough, then flatten slightly with your hand or a rolling pin. Pass the dough through the machine. Fold dough in half and pass through the machine again. Continue to pass the dough through the machine, increasing the setting until the dough is thin to medium thickness (8 on a scale of 10 for the machine setting), about 15-20 times. Add flour whenever it gets too sticky. Trim the finished sheets into rectangles (approximately 6" x 10") and dust lightly with flour, to prevent sticking. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to blanch.
• Make pasta in a stand mixer: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flours and salt. Make a well in the dry ingredients, then add the whole egg and egg yolks, and slowly work the dough with the mixer. Add the olive oil and water while slowly kneading the dough with the paddle. Once the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, continue to knead the dough with the paddle for 1 to 2 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for at least 1 hour at room temperature, up to 2 days in the refrigerator, or 1 week in the freezer. (If frozen, bring to room temperature before moving on to Step 2.) After resting the dough, roll out the pasta sheets (Step 2).
• Parcook pasta sheets: Bring a large stock pot of water to a boil, then season with a generous pinch of salt. Prepare a large bowl with ice water, to shock the pasta sheets after blanching. With a large slotted spoon or mesh strainer, gently lower the pasta sheets into the boiling water, blanching the sheets for about 45 seconds. (If using store-bought dried lasagna noodles, follow directions to cook to al dente.) Remove the pasta to the prepared bowl of ice water. Once the pasta has cooled completely, remove the sheets from the ice water, gently pat dry and spread onto wax paper or plastic wrap that has been brushed lightly with oil. Set aside.
• Filling, part 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the pumpkin or butternut squash in half lengthwise; scoop out and discard the inner stringy flesh and seeds. Peel and cut the onion into ¼-inch thick slices.Rub the butter and ½ teaspoon salt around the inner cavity. Stuff the inside of each half with a the sage leaves and onion slices. Place the halves, cut side down, into a baking dish lined with parchment paper, then pour ½ cup of water around the halves. Cover the whole dish tightly with foil. Bake until the squash is fork tender, 50-60 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool, 30 minutes.
• Filling, part 2: When the squash is cool enough to handle, scrape the flesh into a bowl; discard the skin. (You should have about 2 cups squash.) Finely chop the onion and sage and add to the squash. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, ricotta, and the Parmesan, then mix well. Finally, taste and adjust seasoning with salt as needed. (Note: Filling can be made up to 3 days in advance. Cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container.)
• Cannelloni assembly: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Trim the blanched pasta sheets to fit the baking dish. (Chef Tusk trims his sheets to 5" x 8".) In a small bowl, beat the egg to create an egg wash; alternatively, use water. Brush pasta sheets along one edge, lengthwise, with egg wash or water. Place filling into a pastry bag and pipe ¼ cup evenly down the other edge of the pasta sheet. (Alternatively, use a spoon for the filling.) Starting with the filling side, roll the cannelloni like a cigar, sealing the edge with the egg wash or water. Repeat with remaining pasta and filling.
• Pour cream into a baking dish. Place the cannelloni, seam side down, on top of the cream in an even layer. (If necessary, you can cut the cannelloni in half to fit your dish.) Sprinkle with Parmesan, then bake until light brown and bubbly along the edges, 15-20 minutes.
• Broil cannelloni until top is lightly browned and cream is bubbly, about 2 minutes. Keep an eye on the cannelloni the entire time to prevent scorching! Serve immediately with the reduced cream spooned over the pasta.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, SAGE & WALNUT HONEYCOMB CANNELLONI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the diced squash on a baking tray with 2 tbsp of the oil. Roast in the oven for 20-25 mins until the squash is tender and browning. Put the bigger chunks in a microwave-proof bowl with about 200ml water. Cover with cling film, pierce a couple of times, and microwave on High for 10-14 mins until really soft. Drain off the water and leave to cool a bit.
• Meanwhile, put the remaining oil in a frying pan with the onions, sage and garlic, and cook gently until softened. Set aside to cool.
• Mash the microwaved squash, or whizz in a food processor, then mix with the ricotta until smooth. Season well and taste - it may need a little sugar to bring out the sweetness of the squash. Stir in the onion mixture and walnuts, then gently stir in the roasted squash, being careful not to break it up. Spoon into a disposable piping bag and snip off the end to a width that will just fit inside one of your cannelloni tubes.
• Whisk the mascarpone with the milk, a generous grating of nutmeg, the Parmesan and plenty of seasoning (especially salt) until smooth. Spread just over half the sauce into a big ovenproof dish.
• Prepare the pasta in small batches (because it's easier to fill the tubes when warm). Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add a few tubes at a time and boil for 2 mins, stirring occasionally so they don't stick. Lift out with a slotted spoon and cool under cold water just until you can handle them. Use scissors to snip each tube in half, pipe the squash filling into each tube and stand upright, snuggled together, in your dish. Keep repeating the process (boiling tubes, halving, then filling), until all the ingredients are used up.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 (if it's not already on). Drizzle the remaining mascarpone sauce all over the pasta tubes, scatter with extra sage leaves, a few more walnuts and some Parmesan. Bake for 30 mins until the top is crisp, the sauce bubbling and pasta softened.

RICOTTA AND HERB RAVIOLI

Steps:

• In a bowl mix together: 1 cup ricotta cheese, 2 garlic cloves, chopped fine, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or softened butter, 1 egg, 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons mixed chopped herbs such as marjoram, basil, thyme, savory, parsley, or sage, Salt, Fresh-ground black pepper.
• Taste the mixture for salt and correct as needed.
• Roll out: 1 recipe Fresh Pasta (page 89).
• To make ravioli, roll out the pasta fairly thin and cut into sheets about 14 inches long. Keep the stack of well-floured pasta sheets under a towel to keep them from drying as you work with one sheet at a time. Pipe or spoon 1 tablespoon of the ricotta and herb filling along the lower third of a sheet of pasta. Keep about 1 1/2 inches between each blob of filling. Spray very lightly with a fine mist of water. Fold the upper half of the pasta over the lower half; then, starting at the fold, gently coax all the air out of the ravioli, pressing the two layers of pasta together with your fingertips. When the sheet of ravioli has been formed and pressed, use a zigzag rolling cutter to cut off the bottom edge and to cut between each portion of filling. Separate the ravioli and lay them out on a sheet pan sprinkled with flour; make sure they aren't touching each other or they will stick together. Cover with a towel or parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to cook. Keep refrigerated right up to the time of cooking to prevent the filling from seeping through the pasta, which can cause the ravioli to stick to the pan.
• Wash and stem 1 bunch of chard or spinach. Cook in butter until soft. Cool, squeeze out all the excess water, chop well, and stir into the ricotta mixture. Reduce the amount of chopped herbs to 2 teaspoons.
• For a different sauce, cook a few whole sage leaves in butter over medium heat until the butter is slightly brown and the leaves are crisp.
• Sauce the ravioli with Simple Tomato Sauce (page 264) instead of melted butter.
• Serve in bowls with a ladle of hot broth poured over.
• For cannelloni use 1/2 recipe pasta; roll and cut the sheets into rectangles about 4 by 3 inches. Cook in salted boiling water until done, cool in cold water, and lay the rectangles out on a cloth. Pipe or spoon a couple of tablespoons of filling lengthwise along one third of a rectangle of pasta. Gently roll the pasta to form a large straw. Place the cannelloni, seam side down, in a buttered baking dish. Cover with 1 1/2 cups Simple Tomato Sauce (page 264) and bake for 20 minutes at 400°F.