Butternut Squash and Cheese Ravioli with Herb Oil and crispy Pancetta

Fresh pasta is a lot easier to make than you may think.  I didn't buy special flour but used ordinary plain flour. Rolling the pasta as thin as you can is one of the secrets to good pasta.  I have a pasta roller but for ravioli I prefer using a rolling pin, cutting out rounds with a small biscuit cutter then rolling each round until it is paper thin.  After filling and making sure there is no air trapped in the finished ravioli, I use the cutter to neaten it up.  Use any fresh herbs for the herb oil, Rosemary, Thyme, Basil and Sage all go very well.  I used Marjoram as it is abundant in the garden now and has a lovely flavour which just seems to go with Italian food.

For the pasta

240g plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

50ml water

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Sieve the flour and salt and make a well in the middle.  Break eggs in the centre, followed by the water and olive oil.

Mix using your hands until you have a soft dough then knead for 5 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.

Herb oil

Warm 100 ml extra virgin olive oil very gently in a saucepan add 1 small handful fresh herbs (I used Marjoram) and let it infuse for 15 minutes over a very low heat, the herbs should not be cooking.  Switch off the heat and let it stand for a while to strengthen the flavour.

For the filling

1.5 kg butternut squash, halved, de-seeded and peeled, cut into chunks

1 shallot, finely sliced 

Marjoram from the oil, finely chopped

50g parmesan cheese, coarsely grated

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Steam the squash and shallot until the squash is tender.  Remove from the heat and add to a large bowl.

Mash the squash then stir in the cheese until it has melted.  Add the Marjoram and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

For the crispy Pancetta cut into small pieces and using a hot dry frying pan cook until crispy.

Roll the pasta dough until very thin then cut out rounds.  dampen the edges of one side then fill with the squash mixture, press down the edges making sure there is no trapped air , this will cause the ravioli to split during cooking.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the ravioli 6 at a time for 3-4 minutes, set aside to keep warm until they are all cooked.

Serve with crusty bread, in warm bowls with a drizzle of herb oil and top with some crispy Pancetta.