Pumpkin Ravioli
I had never made pumpkin ravioli before, but I figured that my recent lesson on making pie crust would translate, and pumpkin ravioli just sounded delicious. I read through a few different recipes online and experimented from there — the ingredients and steps I used are below. While the process was time consuming, I certainly felt a connection to my Italian roots while rolling out pasta dough. Time Saver: Use pasta sheets instead of making dough from scratch. ~ Ashley Owen/Moonshine Ink
Ravioli Filling Ingredients: 1 small pie pumpkin
1 cup coconut oil, melted (olive oil or melted butter works, too)
1/4 cup water
1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped finely
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1/4 cup brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
15 oz ricotta cheese
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella or Italian cheeses
Directions: Preheat oven to 350°. Cut pumpkin into chunks for baking (larger sizes mean longer bake time but less skin-peeling time), and place in large baking dish. Mix oil, water, rosemary, garlic, brown sugar, and salt and pepper in dish until pumpkin is thoroughly coated. Cover with foil and bake for approximately an hour, or until pumpkin chunks are soft and mashable; check and stir pumpkin after first half hour.
Once pumpkin chunks are cooked, remove skins and mash pumpkin pieces in large bowl until smooth. Stir in cheeses. Place filling aside.
Ravioli Dough Ingredients: 3 1/2 cup flour
5 eggs
1 pinch of salt
Directions: Pour flour in large bowl and make a hole in the center. Crack eggs into hole and, using your hands, gradually mix eggs into surrounding flour. After working with the dough for several minutes, it should become the consistency of pasta dough (if too wet, add a bit of flour; if too dry, add water).
Roll out pasta dough on large, flat surface (I used a wooden cutting board, wax paper also works); use a floured rolling pin — or wine bottle in a pinch — until dough is thin, about 2 mm. Cut dough into identical squares. Scoop small amount of filling onto one square, and place another square on top, gently pressing edges together with a fork to seal. Immediately boil to cook or place on cookie sheet, cover with foil, and freeze (recommended). When ready, boil them for 10 to 15 minutes or until they float.
Sage Browned Butter Sauce Ingredients: 1 cup butter
1-2 shallots, minced
12 fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup brown sugar
Directions: Melt butter over medium-low heat; add shallots and sauté, then add sage leaves (ripped into smaller pieces if you like). Add brown sugar, salt and pepper if desired. Let sauce simmer on low for 10 minutes. Drizzle over cooked ravioli, sprinkle grated cheese, and enjoy!
Pumpkin Pancakes
These amazing pumpkin pancakes with dairy-free maple pecan glaze are definitely going to become my new fall family tradition. They are so moist they almost don’t even need any topping. But why not go all out? I followed these recipes to the “tee,” except I added more than a pinch of ginger to the pancakes, and about 1/8 cup additional maple syrup to the glaze. ~ Emily Dettling/Moonshine Ink
Recipe from amandasapron.com Pancake Ingredients: 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp room temperature butter
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pinch of salt
1 dash ground ginger
Directions: Combine all ingredients together and mix well. The recipe suggests not waiting for the bubbles as you would for ordinary pancakes. These babies are thick. After you add the glaze, sprinkle with a few candied pecans.
Recipe from detoxinista.com Maple Pecan Glaze Ingredients: 3/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
Directions: Mix ingredients together in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy. The glaze can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days.
