Someone recently sent me a fresh, golden butternut squash and the first thing that came to my mind was ravioli. To add a different texture to the filling I decided to add some boiled crushed green peas. I did not purée the green peas as it would give a pasty texture to the filling. Whole wheat ravioli not only comes out as good as the regular all purpose flour one but also adds extra flavour to the dish.
FOR THE FILLING
Ingredients:-
1 small butternut squash
1/2 cup peas boiled and crushed
2-3 cloves of crushed garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
Salt to taste.
1 tsp olive oil
Method :-
Cut the butternut squash into half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Rub some oil on both halves and sprinkle some salt. Bake the two halves in the oven at around 250 deg C ,till fully cooked. Check with a fork to see if the flesh is soft and scrape it out into a bowl. Add the peas, garlic, salt, pepper and chilli flakes and mix well and keep the filling aside .
FOR THE SAUCE
Ingredients :-
7-8 blanched tomatoes
1 cup coriander leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
4-5 cloves garlic
1 tbsp whole black pepper
2 large onions finely chopped
2 tbsps olive oil
Salt to taste.
Method :-
Peel the blanched tomatoes and blend them together with pine nuts , coriander, black pepper, garlic and salt. In a deep dish , heat the oil and sauté the onions till they turn translucent and add the blended sauce to it. Bring to a boil and keep the sauce aside.
FOR THE RAVIOLI
Ingredients :-
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 egg
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup water.
Salt to taste
Method :-
Mix all the ingredients to make a stiff dough. The water should be added , less or more based on the requirement. Make large balls of the dough and roll each one out into a thin , large round. Use a cookie cutter to cut rounds of the dough. The left over pieces of the dough can again be rolled out to make more rounds . Place a tsp of the stuffing in the centre of the round and brush the edges with water. Place another round on this and press the edges gently . Add them gently into a pot of boiling salted water for about four minutes. Once the raviolis rise in the water take them out on a mesh to remove excess water. Pour hot sauce over the ravioli and garnish with pine nuts , and coriander. Serve with crisp garlic toast.