My first homemade pasta!

Yippee! I made ravioli from scratch! This was on my to-do list for so long. I always wanted to make butternut squash ravioli at home. Every time I bought butternut, I ended up using it in some other dish but the ravioli. This past weekend, I decided that no matter what, I'd got to make ravioli for dinner. I got a very easy and basic pasta dough recipe from my Italian co-worker. And I've bought this cool tool to make ravioli made by Mario Batali! So, here it is, my first homemade pasta that turned out just perfect. I still can't believe I made it! The pasta dough was kind of tough to put together. I mean, to knead with my already weak arm! In the process, I again hurt my right arm. But I didn't want to stop once I started it. So I asked mom's help to knead it for me till it softer and also, roll it for me. She was so happy to see me making pasta, she merrily agreed to pitch in.

Butternut Squash Ravioli
For pasta dough:
Ingredients
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
4 extra-large eggs
1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
How to:
Mound 3 1/2 cups of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs and olive oil. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and oil and begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well. As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up from the base of the mound to retain the well shape.

The dough will come together when half of the flour is incorporated. At this point, start kneading the dough with both hands, using the palms of your hands.

Once there is a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up and discard any leftover bits. Lightly reflour the board and continue kneading for 6 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky.

Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Roll or shape as desired.

For sauce:

Check out my marinara sauce recipe. I just added heavy cream to eat to make Rosé sauce.

For Filling:

Take chopped onions and garlic in the pot. Add Italian seasonings, salt and pepper and cubed butternut squash. Now add enough water or better, chicken stock to cook the butternut squash till its fork tender. Adjust the seasonings and let it cool down. Put the cooked mixture in the food processor and make purée. Now, let the fun in the kitchen begin! Take the pasta dough, roll it out as thin as roti. Stretch it so that it becomes rectangular in shape. Now place the tablespoon of filling about 2 inch apart. Make another triangle of the dough and cover the filling. Close tightly with your fingers around the filling to get rid of all the air bubbles. Cut the pieces of ravioli, cook them in boiling salted water for about 4 minutes and toss them in the sauce.

Kids could have a blast making raviolis! Involve them since you all have small kids! Mine is too big to give me a hand in the kitchen!