I always cherish this last month of Farmer’s Markets here in St. Louis, especially when fall has been warm and there are still plenty of herbs growing in my own garden to enjoy alongside the apples and pumpkins from local farmers. The smell of apples and pumpkins roasting in the oven signals the beginning of a cozy time of year in the kitchen. I find myself preserving the bounty of the season by stockpiling apple butter and roasted pumpkin to bake with later in the winter when the market has closed for the year. The earlier it gets dark, the earlier we find ourselves gathered together in the evenings – and I find myself more willing to take some extra time with everyday meals for friends and family. Last week, I roasted half a dozen sugar pie pumpkins from the market to use for pumpkin pies and my favorite sprouted pumpkin oat bread, but I also tried a new strategy and roasted a few of them with cloves of garlic, fresh sage and rosemary in the cavity for a more savory flavor. The results have been fantastic in soups, savory pumpkin sourdough loaves for the bakery, and as a filling for whole grain pastas. I’ve sometimes struggled to get the perfect texture for whole grain pasta but this fall King Arthur Flour released a recipe using their new sprouted whole wheat flour. I’ve been a fan of sprouted whole wheat flour for some time, but had never tried it in pasta. The results are fantastic, and pair wonderfully with savory pumpkin and local goat cheese for ravioli or lasagna. If you are a gardener with rosemary and sage still on hand, this recipe will fill your kitchen with the wonderful aroma of fall, and would be worthy of any Thanksgiving table. What better way to celebrate our gratitude for local farms, gardens, and kitchens full of friends?
- 2 cups savory roasted pumpkin
- 2 fresh farm eggs
- 8 ounces fresh goat cheese (Baetje Farms or another soft local variety)
- salt, pepper, nutmeg
- 2 cups sprouted whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 farm fresh eggs
- 1 tablespoon rosemary or garlic infused olive oil
- 2-4 tablespoons water
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup tiny fresh sage leaves
- balsamic vinegar
- roasted pumpkin seeds
- grated parmesan
- Roast the pumpkins by splitting in half, scooping out the seeds and coating each half with rosemary infused olive oil. Place two peeled cloves of garlic and several sage and rosemary leaves into each cavity and roast, cut side down, in a 400 degree oven until easily pierced with a fork. Cool until touchable, then scoop the roasted flesh, garlic, sage and rosemary into a bowl and mash. Store or freeze for baking or pasta fillings. Seeds can be cleaned and roasted with rosemary oil, salt and pepper in the same 400 degree oven until golden brown and crunchy.
- Combine the roasted pumpkin, two eggs and goat cheese in a bowl until well blended. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste then chill while preparing the pasta.
- Prepare pasta by combining flour and salt in a bowl then making a well in the middle. Add the eggs, oil and one tablespoon of the water to the well and whisk with a fork, slowly dragging the flour into the wet ingredients. Add more water, one tablespoon at a time until a crumbly dough begins to form, then knead for just a couple minutes to make a smooth ball of dough. Wrap the dough and let it rest at least thirty minutes, then roll according to your pasta machine directions for a medium thick sheet of pasta. I use a standard KitchenAid pasta attachment and roll it to the #4 setting.
- Working with one sheet of pasta at a time, place tablespoons of filling an inch apart along one side of the pasta, then fold the sheet over sealing the edge with water. Using a pasta cutter, cut the sheet into individual ravioli. Place the ravioli on a cookie sheet sprinkled with semolina flour and freeze while you complete the remaining sheets of pasta. Once all ravioli are frozen solid they may be cooked immediately or placed in a zip lock bag and frozen for another night.
- When ready to cook, bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil. While water is coming to a boil, brown the butter and sage leaves in a separate pan which will be large enough to hold the ravioli as well. Drop no more than 12 ravioli at a time into the salted boiling water and cook until they rise to the surface and float about thirty seconds. Remove them directly into the browned butter and keep warm while the remaining ravioli cook.
- Plate the ravioli immediately and top with good balsamic vinegar, toasted pumpkin seeds and fresh parmesan.