I made a cake yesterday that used exactly half of a large can of pumpkin puree, which meant, if my math is correct, that I had exactly half of a large can of pumpkin puree left over. Check my calculations there, will you? I think canned pumpkin puree is one of the best canned foods there is—right up there with whole tomatoes and sweetened condensed milk—and rather than pack the extra away in a container and let it languish in the fridge, only to be forgotten, I decided to make a batch of pumpkin ravioli for a late Sunday lunch. I had everything I needed, after all: Pumpkin, garlic, butter, wonton wrappers, Parmesan, pine nuts…and will. Sheer will. The results? Delicious! I love making ravioli with wonton wrappers—so much easier than spending the time to make pasta dough—and this would make a great little appetizer for Thanksgiving or just a lovely fall weeknight meal. Here’s how to make it!
Ingredients
FOR THE FILLING:
- 2 tbsp.
salted butter
- 2
cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1
15 oz. can pumpkin puree
- 1/4 tsp.
kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp.
chili powder, plus more to taste
FOR THE RAVIOLI:
- 1/4 c.
pine nuts
- 1/2 c.
salted butter
- 36
whole wonton wrappers
- 1
egg
-
Black pepper, to taste
-
Fresh parmesan cheese, optional
-
Thinly sliced fresh sage leaves
Description
- For the filling: Melt the butter with the garlic in a skillet over medium heat and cook for 1-2 minutes to release the garlic flavor. Add the pumpkin puree, salt and chili powder. Stir and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, until the puree is less watery and slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
- 2For the ravioli: Toast the pine nuts in a small skillet over medium-low heat, tossing occasionally, until golden, 6-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour the pine nuts onto a small plate.
- 3In a small skillet (you can use the same one you toasted the pine nuts in) brown the butter by melting it over medium-high heat, then let it cook and bubble for an additional 4-6 minutes or until the foam is golden brown. Transfer it to a heatproof bowl.
- 4Lay out 18 wonton wrappers and put 1 tablespoon of the pumpkin filling in the center. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Using your finger, smear the egg mixture all over the surface of one of the wrappers surrounding the pumpkin. Place a clean wrapper on top, matching up the edges. Press the edges together and use your fingers to press out any air pockets that form. Repeat with the rest of the wrappers. (Keep in mind the wrappers dry out quickly, so you might want to assemble 9 ravioli at a time, keeping the other wrappers covered. If you like, you can trim the raviolis using a circular or square cutter to make the edges uniform. Totally optional!)
- 5Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop 3 ravioli at a time into the water and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spatula and put the ravioli on a plate. Continue cooking the ravioli in batches of 3.
- 6To serve, spoon a little browned butter onto each plate and smear it around. Place 3-4 ravioli on each plate, then spoon a little more browned butter over the top. Sprinkle on the toasted pine nuts, black pepper, and shaved Parmesan, if desired. Finally, sprinkle on the sage and serve!
