When I entertain, I try to simplify the food so I can prepare as much as possible ahead of time. That way, when the guests arrive, i can spent my time chatting with them instead of being chained to the kitchen.
Raviolis are an easy first course or side dish. Just prepare the sauce ahead of time and then quickly cook the pasta. Thanks to the premium raviolis available in the refrigerated section of your favorite grocery or specialty store, pumpkin raviolis with browned butter sauce and truffles won’t take your entire day. Find a pre-made version of pumpkin ravios, and then add the browned butter and sliced truffles. Voila! An elegant first course or side dish that took just a few minutes to prepare.
Truffles can be hard to get–and expensive if you do find them–so here are some easy substitutions.
- Preserved truffles, available whole or in slices
- Preserved truffle tapanade with olive oil
- Olive oil with essence of truffles
This recipe will do best with either the fresh or preserved truffles, but if you can’t find either, the truffle oil will work. Just remember to use it sparingly as it has a very strong flavor that can overwhelm the pumpkin flavor.
If you absolutely cannot find truffles, you can flash fry some sage leaves in olive oil and add a few of the fried sage leaves to the top of each small bowl.
Pumpkin Ravioli with Browned Butter and Truffles
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
Truffle shavings
Salt and pepper to tasteBoil pasta according to package directions. Put butter in a heavy saucepan over medium low heat and stir occasionally. After butter melts, watch it closely. As soon as it gets brown, remove it from heat so it does not burn. This gives the butter a rich nutty flavor.Drain pasta and arrange in small bowls. Drizzle with browned butter. Add a few shavings of truffles or drizzle with a tiny amount of truffle oil. Serve immediately.
WINE PAIRING: Pair with heavy white wine, such as a French Chablis, or medium red wine, such as an Aglianico from Italy.
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