not bad for a Tuesday night

Tuesday night's supper was as follows (a few photos after all the blah, blah, blah):

Butternut and Delicata squash ravioli with browned butter, leek and sage sauce
Sauteed chard in balsamic reduction

Ravioli
Cut up squash in halves and spoon out seeds. Brush with olive oil and roast in the oven at 400 degrees until the flesh of the squash is fork tender (about 45 minutes). Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and discard the skin. Mash up the squash to get an even consistency. Sprinkle squash with ground white pepper and nutmeg.

In a sautee pan, sautee chopped up leeks in olive oil. When the leeks are tender, add a splash of marsala wine and cook till the wine has burned off. Add half the leeks to the squash. Stir to incorporate the leeks and spices. Add half a tub of ricotta cheese to the squash and fold gently.

Set up ravioli making station with fresh lasagne noodles (I think this is an upgrade from the wonton wrappers, but still not quite there. Might have to break out the pasta maker after all), a bowl of water, squash mixture and a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Spoon about 1/2 tablespoon of squash onto a rectangle of lasagne noodle (may need to cut to size) leaving generous margins of exposed noodle around the filling. Fold over the noodle so that it contains the filling like a pouch. Dip one finger into the bowl of water and slide finger in between the noodle and press gently to close. The water helps the noodle stay stuck together. Lay completed ravioli onto parchment lined baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the filling and noodles until all or one are used up. Soak a tea towel and wring it out. Place it damp over the raviolis to keep them from drying out.

In the sauce pan with the remaining leeks, add 3 tablespoons of butter and melt completely. When the butter begins to foam, add the fresh sage and sautee that until it becomes nice and crispy. Actually, the leeks will crisp before the sage, probably. That's okay too.

Fill almost to the top a large deep skillet with water and a drizzle of olive oil. Bring water to a boil and add raviolis one by one being careful not to crowd the pan. Use a slotted spoon to turn each one afer about 5 minutes. After another 3-4 minutes (when they look done) scoop out and place on a plate. Keep plate in the oven while you cook the rest of the ravioli in batches. Try to avoid stacking them on top of each other in case they stick.

Dip the first batch of raviolis into the hot water to heat briefly before serving. Serve raviolis with a drizzle of the browned butter mixture. Best when served immediately.

For the sauteed greens.
In another pan, throw in some chopped up garlic, olive oil and the stems of the chard and sautee until the stems are a little tender. Throw in the chopped up leafy bits and stir around a bit to coat everything in the olive oil and garlic goodness. Cover for a few minutes. Go use the bathroom or use this time to clear the dining table so you can actually sit there to enjoy this meal. Throw some balsamic vinegar over the greens (about 3 tablespoons?) and give it a good stir. Put the cover back on it and let it sit on a med-low flame. Cook it until the balsamic vinegar is mostly evaporated and the greens are tender. Turn off the heat and keep covered until ready to serve.