Every once in a great while I will receive a batch of store coupons and along with them will come some easy to make at home recipe that usually incorporates some brand name or store brand product. I’m not sure when this Kroger recipe snuck into my pile, but there it was…taunting me to try it…luring me with the pumpkin ingredient…along with goat cheese…something I wouldn’t think to pair together. Putting them together in a ravioli dish just sounded decadent…something to bring delight during these wintry months.
So take a chilly winter weekend and collect all of the ingredients together, and it becomes irresistible to give the recipe a try rather than binge watching every silly sitcom that’s out there. The only item I lacked was a pastry cutter…you know, that little wheel thingie that makes those frilly edges on doughy items. Ahh well, this too shall go on my kitchen want list. It joins a small but growing list of ‘nice to have’s’, including an Ankarsrum mixer. Someday…
Oddly enough, this recipe didn’t call for any brand named or store brand items…just your typical list of ingredients. Now I have never worked with wonton wrappers, and I thought they might present themselves like phyllo dough…requiring wrapping in between use, so they didn’t dry out and stick to each other, however this didn’t happen and it was a pleasant surprise.
Unless you thoroughly cool the sautéed leeks and garlic, the goat cheese will meld with the pumpkin. That happened.
Filling the wonton wrappers was fun, and I cut a few corners by cutting the wonton wrappers in half instead of in quarters and then folding over the ravioli and sealing them with a little water around the three sides and a quick pinch with a fork to crimp the edges somewhat. This worked and saved time! If you want to go by the book and have them ravioli look absolutely perfect, then cut the wrappers into quarters and seal and pinch each, going around all four corners.
Either way, the whole production was a lot of work, and I would suggest teaming up with one or two friends to make these. It’s a process. Someone has to fill and pinch these, someone has to drop and boil, and someone has to slot spoon out the finished ravioli and sauce them.
I ended up needing double the amount of sauce, because one package of wonton wrappers yields a boat load of ravioli. I ended up with extra wonton wrappers, and got creative, filling the remainder with a jam and pecan filling and boiling these, then pan frying, and then sprinkling with powdered sugar for dessert (almost like micro crepes.)
From start to finish…many steps make the perfect ravioli!
I almost forgot to top these with the arugula, grated Parmesan and toasted pecans. Trust me, they’re good even without these toppings. It makes the dish hard to rewarm with the arugula, parm and pecans, so if you make the entire batch, I would suggest only topping what you’ll eat.
Overall, I hate to admit it, but these were really delicious. The sage butter sauce gives that little bit of saltiness to the dish and it just makes it perfect. The goat cheese is also a nice addition, but the 1/4 cup is barely noticeable in the dish. If you really want to up the cheese to a 1/2 up, I’d say go for it. Leeks and shallots have become my new favorite alternative to the everyday onion, and in this dish, they don’t disappoint. The leeks are buttery soft and wilted.As toppings go, the arugula balances the dish, and the pecans give it a nice little crunch. Keeps the dish from feeling too doughy. I really want to like this recipe, but only if I have kitchen help!
Pumpkin Ravioli
For Ravioli:
2 tbsp butter
2 medium leeks, washed, white parts only thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pkg wonton wrappers, each it into quarters (I halved mine!)
For sauce:
6 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sage, chopped
2 tbsp heavy cream
For serving:
1 cup arugula
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
To make the filling, sauté the leeks and garlic in 2 tablespoons of butter. Remove from heat; combine sautéed vegetables with pumpkin and goat cheese. Add olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste.
Lay quartered wonton wrappers on a floured surface. Place 1 teaspoon of filling on half of the squares. Brush water around the edges of the pumpkin topped wonton squares. Press an untapped wonton square on top of each filled square. Crimp the edges together with a fork. Boil the ravioli for 3 to 4 minutes, or until tender.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a small skillet over low heat. Add salt, then sage. Stir in heavy ream. Toss the ravioli with the brown butter sauce. Serve with arugula, Parmesan cheese and pecans. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Suze's Adventures 