Goodness in a three by three square

Last Night's Lasagna (not pictured: the first two pieces)

The lasagna was outstanding! And it was wonderful to be able to pop it in the oven and lie down on the living room floor for an hour while I waited for it to cook. That's about all I can manage at the moment.

It was a little bit soupy. Just a little. But I'm afraid if I had left out some of the liquid from the tomatoes, say, it would have been too dry, which is a much more dire tragedy in the world of lasagna. I removed the foil about halfway through, rather than waiting until the last ten minutes, and that seemed to help.

The filling is the most important part anyway, right?

Today's Home Food is a cautionary tale.

Perhaps there is some broader life lesson in what I'm about to say, but it's also pretty useful as a literal piece of advice: Don't try to make ravioli if you don't have a pasta machine.

Here's the deal: Yesterday was my birthday and I thought it would be fun if Bob and I cooked something from scratch together for dinner. I've made fresh fettuccine before but have always wanted to try something with filling. I had an idea for butternut squash ravioli with lots of herbs and cheese--it sounded so good. I found any old pasta dough recipe online (mistake #1). I won't reveal the identity of this so-called food blogger because the result was, as Bob described it, a good raw material for the creation of leather goods.

Now, if we had a pasta machine and all the time in the world to crank away, the results probably would have been fine. But as all I have is a rolling pin and a husband willing (within reason) to earn his keep, rolling these suckers out was a long, arduous process--for him. I stood idly by advising him and sniffing my beautiful birthday flowers. Pasta dough (or at least this pasta dough) is really tough and the more you roll it the more it just sort of migrates back to itself. You can get it only so thin without the machine.

When we finally did get a semi-thin sheet, I realized I had nothing to cut the pieces out with except a heart-shaped cookie cutter. So it was all becoming more ridiculous by the minute.

What I have for you today is a really good recipe for ravioli filling. As I was mixing it up I tasted it and said, "God, I could eat this all by itself." I would have been well-advised to heed that instinct.


Home Food Butternut Squash Ravioli Filling

Serve in one big bowl with two spoons.

Cut a butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Brush with olive oil and roast in the oven cut side down about 45 minutes at 400. Check for tenderness with a knife blade. When it's done, remove and let cool.

Melt some butter in a pan. Maybe 1-2 tablespoons. Scoop squash into the pan and saute in the butter. This will help reduce away the moisture if it is too soupy. Add 1 clove garlic finely chopped, 2 teaspoons or more of fresh thyme, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese. Stir until combined and remove from heat. Allow it to cool.

If you dare, roll out some pasta dough and add filling. We tossed the finished product in a little more melted butter and herbs, more cheese and some toasted walnuts.

I think I will make soup with the leftover filling. There's quite a lot of it as two hours of hard labor yielded only nine raviolis. Good thing it was burrito night at Jane Bond.