Roasted Squash and Goat Cheese Ravioli

FILLINGS:



Roasted Squash and Goat Cheese

Tip: You can cook squash in advance alongside whatever you’re cooking in the oven. Then cool, wrap in foil and refrigerate for up to three days. It’ll be ready, and cool enough to handle, when you are.


1 small butternut squash canola or olive oil, for cooking

1/2–1 cup (125–250 mL) soft goat cheese or ricotta

2 tbsp (30 mL) maple syrup (optional)

salt and pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 400°F.

1. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place in a baking dish or on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the flesh is very soft. Set aside until it’s cool enough to handle.
2. Using a fork or spoon, scoop out the flesh out into a bowl and add the cheese, maple syrup and salt and pepper.
3. Mash with a fork until well blended.
   

ASSEMBLE THE RAVIOLI

1 pkg. wonton wrappers, thawed

2–3 cups (500–750 mL) fillings

Sauce: tomato sauce, pesto, browned butter or oil, alfredo sauce

1. Fill a small dish with water.
2. Take one or two wonton wrappers
   out at a time, keeping the rest in the package or covered with a tea
   towel so that they don’t dry out. Lay them on a clean, dry surface and
   place a spoonful of filling onto the middle of each wrapper.
3. Dip your finger into the water and
   use it to moisten two adjoining edges. Fold the wonton over to form a
   triangle, pressing out any air bubbles (so that they don’t turn into
   floatation devices in the pot of boiling water), and press to seal.
4. Repeat with the remaining wontons
   and filling. If you want to turn your ravioli into tortellini, moisten
   the two corners at the base of the triangle, bring them together and
   pinch them to seal.
   

EAT RIGHT AWAY:

Bring a large pot of salted
water to a boil. Gently drop in as many as you want to cook, making
sure not to crowd the pot, and boil for five to six minutes, until they
float to the surface. Remove them from the water with a slotted spoon
and drain them well. Top with any sauce you like.



OR FREEZE FOR LATER:

Arrange uncooked ravioli in
a single layer on a baking sheet or tuck them into ice cube trays, then
freeze. Then transfer them to freezer bags to store for up to six
months. Boil from frozen.




Published May 2010