Last year I grew “Mashed Potato” Squash aka Acorn Squash for the first time and it resulted in a delicious surprise. These green ones that I grew actually tasted more like a sweet potato which I definitely wasn’t mad about.
A tasty light squash recipe, ideal as a starter for an autumn feast.
Ingredients
- 2 Acorn Squash
- 300g plain flour with a little extra for dusting
- 2 eggs plus 2 yolks
- 30 ml olive oil seasoned with salt pepper and a little cinnamon
- 50 ml water or milk for sealing
- A knob of butter
Directions
- To make the pasta, put the flour in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and egg yolks and mix with a fork, bringing more of the flour in from the sides as you mix. Once the mixture comes together into a ball, tip it out onto a work surface and knead for 10-15 mins until firm and smooth. Wrap and leave to rest for 30 mins.
- Meanwhile to make the filling. Cut the squash in two and coat it with the seasoned olive oil. Line a baking tray with a sheet of foil and place the squash pieces cut side down on the foil. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 175C. When done remove from the oven and leave to cool.
- While the squash is cooling, cut the pasta dough into four pieces so it’s easier to work with. Roll the pasta until it is about 2 to 3 mm thick.Then using a cake cutter or the lid of a jar, cut out circles of pasta.
- Using a fork, scoop the squash out of its skin, into a large bowl. Mash the squash with the fork and season with salt and pepper and any other herbs and spices to your taste. Then using a teaspoon, place the filling into the centre of the pasta circles, leaving enough space (about 1cm) around the edges to seal the ravioli. Cover the squash mixture with a second pasta disc and pinch the sides to seal. You can wet the edges with water or milk to ensure it seals.
- To cook, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and gently lower in the ravioli using a slotted spoon. Boil for 2-3 mins until the pasta is cooked through, then remove to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
- Serve with a drizzle of melted butter.
I’m gutted that after the hard work of preparing this meal, I forgot to take a picture of the finished article – Doh! This scrumptious dish could be served as a side dish to any meat dish or as the star in its own right along with some courgettes, broccoli or other vegetables (homegrown of course).
I hope you give it a try.
To the roots of it 