Roasted "Buttersquash" Ravioli w/ Sage Cream Sauce

*This is a re-post. I thought it was an appropriate "autumn" meal. You could always replace the squash with pumpkin.*

I love butternut squash, or "buttersquash" as Connor calls it. Usually I pop it in the oven, bake until it's soft and tender, and scoop out the sweet, savory goodness. Being the only member of the family who eats this gorgeous vegetable, I decided to make a special dish for myself.

Have you ever had a moment of greatness, when you were so impressed with yourself - only to be put back in your rightful place within a matter of moments?

That was me about ten minutes ago.

I'm getting ahead of myself. Earlier in the day, I was trying to decide what to do with my "buttersquash" and came up with what I considered a fantastic idea - Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli w/ Sage Cream Sauce! I thought to myself, "I'll make up a recipe as I go and if it comes out halfway decent, I can post it on my blog!"

Excitedly, I began peeling and dicing my squash, stopping to toss in some chopped onion, olive oil, the juice from one orange, salt, pepper, and pumpkin pie spice. I know - I know. Crazy! But, when I went searching through my cabinet, I realized I was out of nutmeg - the typical partner for squash. Daring to be unique, since this was my own creation afterall, I picked up the pumpkin pie spice, checked the ingredients, and decided to throw caution to the wind!

What emerged from the oven 50 minutes later was a picture of beauty.



Don't you just love that golden orange color? I wish I could have shared the aroma that encompassed my kitchen as I lifted the dish from the oven.

After letting the roasted squash cool, (and tasting a morsel of course), I used my food processor to create a light and fluffy mixture of squash, cream, and a bit of melted butter.

Oh - did I forget to mention that this is most definitely not a diet friendly meal?

After finishing that exhausting task, I put the fragrant squash mousse into the refrigerator and went about my day.

I imagine it can be quite frustrating for those who are simply interested in a clear cut recipe to read my blog. In my world, food is something to be discussed, shared, photographed, savored, and so on. It would be very difficult for me to put down the ABCs of a recipe because that's not how I cook. When I am making something, I might look to recipes as a guide, but I always change things up and add my own touches. And in the case of this "buttersquash" invention, there is a whole story to unravel along the way.

As the day progressed and dinner time drew near, I got out my "recipe" for Pennsylvania Dutch Ham Pot Pie. I made my pasta dough the same way I make it for the pot pie. After rolling out some of the dough, I brushed the top with an egg wash and placed some spoonfuls of squash in a (not so straight) row.





The ravioli got boiled for just a few minutes. While that was taking place, I made my cream sauce. Onions sauteed in some margarine, a couple splashes of wine, and then it was time for the glorious cream.



A bit of sage, some parmesan cheese, a dash of salt and pepper, and the sauce was complete and ready to accompany my little pillows of slightly sweet, yet savory "buttersquash."

Then came that critical moment when my tongue got to be the judge of this original cuisine. The result was a triumphant, "Oh my gosh this is sooooooo good! I can't believe I came up with this on my own! I should write a cookbook!"



Oh yeah. There was a point to this story, wasn't there?

I was all excited to share this wonderful creation on my blog and basking in the glory of a fantastic meal, when I happened to do a search on google for butternut squash ravioli. Do you know how many recipes are already out there for butternut squash ravioli with some sort of sage sauce? Go type it in and check for yourself. I'll wait.

See what I mean? My excitement over this - what I considered to be a - unique meal was quickly thwarted by the realization that I had made nothing new. Such a meal had been recreated many times before this traveler's moment of brilliance.

In an attempt to salvage some of my dignity, I decided to at least come up with an original name for my dish. I bet you won't find any other recipes for "buttersquash" ravioli. Go ahead and check. I'll wait.

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