two weeks of tech mean that i’ve been surviving on a diet of cheese-spinach-avocado sandwiches (it’s vegetarian january) and the big pot of chili we made and froze last month. i haven’t been home before midnight in two weeks. so with my first day off, what a relief to spend the evening cooking. our CSA has a tendency to gift us with ugly-looking squash-type things that i can never tell if I’m supposed to eat or decorate a cornucopia with. most of them i foist off on teresa, who can call them by name and conjure meals out of them. but a butternut squash came our way and i was determined i’d learn out to use it.

as it turns out, the trickiest part of eating a butternut squash is butchering it. i asked the internet, and got directions which told me to go after it with a vegetable peeler, which makes about as much sense is trying to debark a tree with a vegetable peeler. in the end i spent the better part of an hour hacking my way through the squash (fingers still intact, amazingly). the result was about 3 pounds of usable squash. I cubed and froze all of it and have been working my way through it since Christmas. first there were martha stewart’ssquash wontons (highly recommended). tonight i created the recipe below. next week i think there will be an attempt at a squash risotto. all in all, this single squash is going to see us through vegetarian january and beyond.

so the recipe here is for butternut squash ravioli with balsamic browned butter sauce. it’s awesome. i read about a dozen recipes for butternut squash ravioli before deciding i was going to wing it with the various knowledge i had absorbed and the contents of my fridge. the results kicked ass, if i may say so. recorded below so i can remember to make this for my next dinner party (most of this can be made in advance so it’s a good dinner party option). the measurements are all approximate, seeing as how i didn’t measure anything. that is to say, follow these directions at your own risk, but follow your own intuition and preferences about flavors fearlessly.

butternut squash ravioli with balsamic browned butter sauce

* 1 c butternut squash, cubed.
* 1/4 c goat cheese
* 1/4 large white onion, minced
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* pinch nutmeg
* 1/2 tsp dried sage
* wonton wrappers or fresh rolled pasta dough*

* 4 cups fresh spinach, rinsed
* 1/4 c freshly grated parmesan
* 1/4 c walnuts, chopped

* 1/4 c salted butter + a little more for sauteing
* 1 TBS balsamic vinegar

* salt and pepper to taste
* olive oil

1. Toast the walnuts by tossing into a frying pan over medium heat. Toss frequently, and never look away or they will burn in an instant (trust me, I know this from first hand experience, and lots of it). It’ll take about 5 minute for them to brown and become fragrant. Remove to a dish to cool.

2. Roast or steam the squash until very soft. Roasting in the oven yields better flavor, but if you’re pressed for time, steaming is much faster (about 5 minutes compared to 45 minutes). After steaming it I tossed it into a pan and pan fried it a little bit, just to give it a bit more flavor.

4. While the squash is cooking , saute the minced onions and garlic in a mixture of olive oil and butter.

5. Put squash, onions, garlic, goat cheese, salt, pepper, sage and nutmeg into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

6. Assemble ravioli by placing a small dollop (less than you think you need) in the center of each wonton wrapper or pasta square. Fold in half, using a bit of water to stick the layers together, and press the edges with the tines of a fork to get a good seal. Transfer ravioli to a cookie sheet and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, wilt spinach by heating a small amount of olive oil in a pan and tossing in the freshly-washed spinach. It should crackle as it hits the pan. Put a lid on to wilt — with baby spinach it needs only 30 seconds, with tougher leaves it might need 2 minutes. Turn off the heat before the spinach looks fully wilted, as it will continue to cook even after the heat is off.

8. Bring a pot of water to boil for the ravioli. While that is heating, make the butter sauce. Put butter into a small frying pan, and heat on medium heat until the foam subsides and the butter browns (scoop a bit out onto a white plate to check the color). About 3 minutes. Add a few grinds of pepper. When the butter is brown, turn off heat, transfer to a cool dish, and whisk in the balsamic vinegar.

9. Boil the ravioli — how long depends on what wrapper or pasta you choose. With wonton wrappers, only 3-4 minutes are needed — basically the time it takes the water to return to boil after placing the cold ravioli in it. If you are making a large quantity, you may want to boil in two batches. Drain the ravioli.

10. Assemble the plates: a bed of wilted spinach topped with the ravioli, butter sauce, toasted walnuts, and grated parmesan.

11. Serve immediately with crusty bread and a bottle of wine.

* i used wonton wrappers for this, which are convenient and not that hard to find, but ultimately, not as awesome as pasta. while writing this up i asked the internet and found a place nearby *fourth street pasta shop in berkeley) where i can by fresh sheet pasta. so we will revisit the recipe again soon with proper sheets of egg pasta in place of the wonton wrappers.