Let me just start out by saying…I’ve never made pasta from scratch before.
I also don’t own a pasta machine (although earlier this week I did order a KitchenAid mixer with the pasta attachment, which is supposed to arrive sometime next week). However, in the absence of a pasta machine, rolling the pasta ended up being a lot more work than I anticipated.
But even without the proper equipment, I decided to press forward tonight and experiment with making Butternut Squash and Bacon Ravioli. And I have to say, the results were not totally offensive (although I won’t do this again until the pasta machine arrives).
Here’s how I did it.
To start, I based my pasta dough on this recipe for Basic Pasta Dough. And despite the simple instructions, I managed to completely butcher it. In the end I was able to salvage things and the pasta ended up tasting fine. But the process wasn’t pretty. So rather than sharing the gory details, here’s a photo of the dough convalescing in plastic wrap for 30 minutes before I flattened it with a rolling pin and cut it into round pieces using the rim of a drinking glass.
For the butternut squash ravioli filling, I used this recipe from Gourmet Magazine. As you know, I used fresh pasta rather than the won ton wrappers that the recipe suggests. And instead of goat cheese I used manchego cheese (only because that is what I had on hand). I also added crumbled hickory smoked bacon from The Pork Shop in Queen Creek, Arizona.
In the end, I boiled the ravioli for about 10 minutes to cook the pasta thoroughly.
The total process took me a little over 2 hours, which had more to do with my need to improvise than actual cooking time. I originally had grand Sunday night plans of making this dinner and soaking in the hot tub before crawling into bed. Now I’m just going to finish cleaning the kitchen and collapse as soon as I’m done writing.
However, under normal circumstances (and with the proper equipment), this is probably a 60-90 minute project. And I imagine you could save even more time by using the won ton wrappers rather than making pasta dough from scratch. Or perhaps you are better equipped than I and the pasta won’t take you as long. But either way, the result will be a lovely pocket of butternut squash and bacony goodness that would taste good with a variety of sauces from a simple butter mixture to a cream based sauce.