Hey boys and girls, do you know what day it is? Wednesday! Newspaper food section day!

One day soon (operators are busy working now) we’ll have beautiful photographs on this blog, especially on food days. But for now, we’ll have to use our imaginations to conjure up a photo of the pumpkin ravioli.

Let’s do a close-up. See how transluscent the ravioli look in a wash of light? See the the shimmer of the burnt butter sauce on top? See the garnish of burnt butter sage leaves, so crispy and wonderful?

Hold that image as we pause here to discuss fresh pumpkin.

In my opinion, Libby’s knows what it’s doing in the pumpkin arena. We don’t. Not really.

Perhaps your pumpkin experiences have fared better than mine. But every time I’ve gone down the fresh pumpkin road, it’s a disaster.

In theory, I appreciate the romantic, purist culinary concept of beginning with a fresh pumpkin with the intent to roast it for for pies or ravioli or whatever. (Speaking of pumpkin whatever, Moonstone Bistro in Redding makes the most incredible little pumpkin souffles with a side serving of creme anglaise. Moonstone’s desserts are fairly pricey, but you could split one with a friend.)

Sorry. I digressed.

In reality, the long and messy process required to cook a pumpkin, clean its slippery innards, remove the seeds and scoop out the pumpkin meat just isn’t worth the hassle.

If I can be so blunt, in truth, the whole ordeal is a royal pain in the ass. (Yet another sentence I’d never get away with at the Record Searchlight.)

I wouldn’t mind, except the pumpkin meat always turns out pale and watery, which makes the pumpkin dish pale and watery. Ick. So buy the canned stuff. Save yourself some grief.

Oh, and speaking of grief, if you’re not in the mood to make fresh pasta for the ravioli sheets, go ahead and buy won ton wrappers (or, for bigger ravioli, egg roll wrappers).

The process is basically the same: put dollops of filling on the won ton squares, brush the edges with an egg wash, cover the filling with another won ton wrapper and use a fork to crimp the edges closed. (Avoid air pockets or the ravioli with burst in the boiling water.)

This recipe is one I created and made last month for a cooking class in my Igo kitchen. It was a Record Searchlight Cooking with Doni donation to benefit the Shasta Land Trust.

Of all the dishes we made that day, this recipe was the group’s hands-down favorite. I used butternut squash for our ravioli, but it’s easy to swap it for pumpkin. But if you prefer fresh, cooked butternut squash, go for it.

Either way, it’s delicious.

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Pumpkin ravioli with pine nut and chive butter with burnt butter sage leaves

Pasta dough, rolled into sheets, uncut

Bunch of fresh sage leaves, with stems

1/4 cup each olive oil and butter, for frying leaves

Few tablespoons flour

1 cup pine nuts

1/8 cup fresh chives, snipped

Parmesan cheese shavings, for garnish

Shake sage leaves and their stem handles in a baggie filled with flour. Shake them off, and lower them into heated oil and butter in a frying pan, being careful not to crowd. Let them brown nicely until crispy, turning once. Let drain on parchment or wax paper. Set aside.In the same pan, melt the butter and add the pine nuts, stirring and letting the butter get foamy and the pine nuts get slightly browned. Set aside.

Ravioli filling

1 cup fresh pumpkin

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

Zest of half a lemon

2 eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients, but just use half the beaten eggs. Set aside and use as filling for ravioli. (Use the rest of the beaten egg, with a little water, to use as “glue” to hold the ravioli sheets together.)

Take two long sections of rolled pasta. Place one on a floured work surface. Dot scant teaspoons of filling evenly spaced along the bottom sheet. “Paint” egg wash along the ravioli edges. Place top sheet over the bottom sheet, carefully squeezing out the air bubbles and sealing the pasta sheets together. Cut along the lines. Carefully lower a few at a time in a wide frying pan full of simmering, salted water. (This might sound strange, but I do this to avoid the ravioli sticking together in a large, deep pot of boiling water.)

Remove with a slotted spoon when the ravioli float to the top and look done. Drain and place on platter. Pour warmed pine nut butter over the top. Garnish with the chives and sage.
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