Tag: charcuterie
‘Nduja and Butternut Squash Ravioli with Maple Brown Butter and Crispy Speck
Butternut squash ravioli with brown butter and sage seems to appear on almost every fall menu, and for good reason – it’s delicious. This ubiquitous fall classic gets an Aperitivo twist by incorporating ‘nduja, maple butter and speck.
We’ve been using every excuse to eat all the Ploughgate Creamery cultured butter as we can. It is rich and tangy, and the maple version adds a subtle sweetness and smokiness to the sauce for this pasta.
The pasta element in this dish takes the (genius) technique from pasta artist Linda Miller Nicholson, who makes beautiful pasta by blending colorful ingredients with the eggs before making the dough. The ‘nduja adds a beautiful orange hue to the dough and is also incorporated in the filling. If making pasta dough from scratch isn’t your thing, don’t worry! Just make the ‘nduja-spiked squash filling and use store-bought wonton wrappers as the ravioli dough.
If you’ve ever purchased a butternut squash, you know that two are rarely the same size. You may need to adjust the filling ingredients based on the size of your squash. And if you’ve ever made ravioli before, you know that you almost always have leftover filling. But don’t toss out that tasty mixture. Thin it out with stock and make soup, stir into mac and cheese or spread on corn tortillas with black beans and cheese for autumn enchiladas.
‘Nduja and Butternut Squash Ravioli with Maple Brown Butter and Crispy Speck
Serves 4
PASTA DOUGH
- 3 tablespoons ‘nduja
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon hot water
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons “00” flour
- Cornmeal or semolina flour, for dusting
FILLING
- 1 small butternut squash, sliced in half, lengthwise
- 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- ½ cup hand labeled ricotta, drained
- 2 – 3 tablespoons ‘nduja, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper
ASSEMBLY
- ¼ cup walnuts
- 6 large slices La Querica Speck
- 6 tablespoons Ploughgate Maple Butter
- 1 cup starchy pasta water
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped
- Salt, pepper and more Parm to season/garnish
Pasta Dough Instructions
Blend the ‘nduja, eggs and hot water in a blender until smooth, then pour into a bowl of a stand mixer. Add the flour and mix with a paddle attachment until dough comes together. Remove from bowl onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is elastic and silky, about 3 minutes. Set in a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. (If using at later date, dough will keep wrapped in the fridge for up to 3 days.)
Divide the ball of dough into 4 pieces, keeping the pieces covered when not in use. Using a pasta roller or attachment on it’s thickest setting, pass one of the pieces of dough through the machine. Fold the dough sheet into thirds (like folding a letter for an envelope) and pass through the machine again. Repeat 2-3 more times.
Adjust the machine to the next thinnest setting and pass dough sheet through. Continue to reduce the thickness and pass the dough through until the desired thickness is achieved (setting 4 or 5 on a KitchenAid stand mixer pasta attachment)
Keep pasta sheets under a damp kitchen towel on a sheet pan dusted with cornmeal or semolina flour until ready to use. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.
If you don’t yet have a KitchenAid Stand Mixer, check out this great article from our friends at BetterFood.co to help find the perfect standmixer for your kitchen.
Filling Instructions
Preheat oven to 350℉. Drizzle squash halves with salt, pepper and olive oil and lay cut-side down on a baking sheet. Wrap the garlic cloves in aluminum foil and place on the same sheet pan. Roast for 45 – 65 minutes, until squash is tender and garlic cloves are soft and sweet.
Scoop the squash into a bowl and mash until smooth. Remove the garlic cloves from their paper and mix with the squash. Add the rest of the filling ingredients and stir until smooth. Set aside until ready to fill pasta.
Ravioli Assembly
Lay a sheet of pasta dough on a clean, flat surface. Scoop or pipe about 1 tablespoon of squash filling in a row about 1 ½ inch apart. Lightly brush water around each of the dots of the filling, and place another sheet of pasta on top. Gently press the top sheet of dough around each of the dots of filling to seal each ravioli. Cut into squares using a fluted pasta cutter or a knife. Set on a sheet pan lined with cornmeal or semolina flour and repeat with remaining dough and filling. Let pasta rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes (up to 2 hours) before boiling.
*If using wonton wrappers, place a wonton wrapper on a clean, flat surface. Brush edges lightly with water. Place about 1 tablespoon of the squash mixture in the middle of the wonton. Cover with a second wonton wrapper and press gently with fingers to seal edges. Repeat with remaining wonton wrappers and squash mixture until all have been used.
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once at a rolling boil, add a handful of salt to the water. Gently drop the ravioli into the water and let boil 3 – 4 minutes, then remove from pot. Boil in batches if pot seems crowded. Keep 1 cup of pasta water to use for the sauce.
Sauce Instructions
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add walnuts and toast until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Pour out onto a cutting board and coarsely chop. Wipe out pan and return to heat.
Add slices of speck and cook on each side until bright red and crispy, about 3 minutes. Place on a paper towel-lined plate until ready to use.
Return pan to stove and lower heat. Add the butter and let melt and become foamy. Cook until butter is amber in color and smells sweet and nutty. Turn off the heat and add the 1 cup of pasta water. Stir until the sauce starts to thicken.
Add the cooked raviolis to the sauté pan and toss gently to coat the pasta in the sauce, then season with salt and pepper.
Place a few raviolis onto each plate, spooning some brown butter over the top. Tear the speck into pieces and scatter onto the plates. Top with the chopped walnuts, parsley and grated parm.
Baked Belgian Endive with Epoisses and Golden Raisins
There is nothing, repeat, NOTHING wrong with eating a wheel of Epoisses, room temp, with a baguette. That sounds great. You can even watch this video of someone doing exactly that.
But if you are looking to try something a little different with the creamy and stinky French classic, this is for you.
The bitterness of the endive is balanced by the fattiness of the cheese and the sweetness of the golden raisins and the honey drizzle at the end. It makes a hearty side dish on a cold night. And you only need half the wheel for the recipe, leaving you the other half to eat with that baguette.
Baked Belgian Endive with Epoisses and Golden Raisins
BREADCRUMB TOPPING
- 4 ounces Italian bread (about ⅓ of a field&fire loaf)
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons EVOO
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon La Quercia Pesto Bianco lardo spread* /
ENDIVE
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 Belgian endives, sliced in half, lengthwise
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup sweet Riesling
- ½ cup golden raisins – about .15 pounds
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- ½ wheel Epoisses or 4 ounces a washed-rind cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 teaspoons honey
*If you are needing to keep this dish vegetarian, omit the Pesto Bianco and add ½ teaspoon of salt to the breadcrumb mixture instead.
Preheat the oven to 350℉.
Slice the outer crust off the bread and tear into small pieces. Combine the bread, parsley, olive oil, crushed red pepper and black pepper in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Toss together with a wooden spoon and cook until brown and toasty, around 8 minutes. Halfway through, add the Pesto Bianco. Transfer to a plate and let cool. Wipe out the skillet and return to medium heat.
Add the butter to the skillet. Once foamy, add the endive, cut-side down. Let the underside develop some color, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set on a cutting board. Sprinkle 1 tsp of the salt on the cut-side of the endive, getting in between the leaves.
Add the minced garlic to the remaining butter and let cook for 1 minute. Be careful not to burn the garlic, adding a splash of olive oil if the pan seems too dry. Add the wine and raisins to the skillet and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining teaspoon of salt and return the endive to the skillet, cut side up.
Place the skillet in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set to broil. Slice the Epoisses into 4 pieces. Top each endive half with a piece of the cheese and the bread crumb topping. Set back in the oven and broil until melty and golden, about 2 minutes.
Let cool slightly and top with chopped parsley and a light drizzle of honey. Serve with sauce and raisins spooned on top.
Pesto Bianco Stuffed Dates
Just when we thought we couldn’t love La Quercia any more, they send us these INSANE meat spreads.
Image source: La Quercia
Similar to Nduja, the Pancetta and Pesto Bianco spreads are made with delicious cured meats from humanely raised and responsibly sourced pork, sea salt and spices.
The Pesto Bianco is a savory lardo spread made from the cured fat from La Quercia’s prosciutto. The aged lardo is blended with sea salt, black pepper, rosemary and red chili flake.
It can take the place of butter in almost any application – worked into biscuit or tart shell dough, served over a steak, or tossed with warm pasta.
Image source: La Quercia
These two-ingredients snacks are perfect to serve with drinks at your own Aperitivo time. The subtle sweetness of the warmed dates and the softened, rich Pesto Bianco make for an addicting bite.
Pesto Bianco Stuffed Dates
- 1 container, Medjool dates
- 1 package, La Quercia Pesto Biano
- Toothpicks
- Chives and rosemary (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350℉.
Pit the dates by slicing a small slit down the length of the date, being careful as to not slice through it entirely. Gently pull the pit out, leaving a contained space for the filling.
Using a spoon or your fingers, stuff a small amount of the Pesto Bianco spread inside the date. Secure with a toothpick and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dates.
Heat in the oven until warmed through, about 5 minutes.
Transfer to a serving dish, top with chopped herbs (optional) and serve immediately.
‘Nduja Honey Butter
If you haven’t been exposed to ‘Nduja yet, get ready for your world to be rocked. Seriously.
This spicy, spreadable salami comes from the Calabria region of Italy but is available from some of our favorite American charcutiers – La Quercia and Nduja Artisans. Chunks of prosciutto and speck are ground together with spices and Calabrian chiles, giving nduja an unmistakable porky, spicy and tangy flavor. It might be one of the most versatile ingredients sold in the Aperitivo meat case – we use it in vinaigrettes, serve alongside burrata, stuff into dates and spread on the ever-popular Hot Calabrian sandwich.
At home, a scoop of nduja can do wonders for sauteed peppers and onions, makes an amazing pizza topping, is the best secret ingredient in carbonara and this… ‘Nduja Honey Butter.
Creamy, salty, sweet and spicy, this butter is insane with no limits on how to use it – a generous smear on a breakfast sandwich, tossed with zucchini noodles, rubbed on salmon before roasting… the possibilities are endless.
This recipe can be easily scaled up or down. Only have half a package, use half a stick of butter! Don’t want it to be too spicy? Use less ‘nduja. We are big fans of cultured butter here at Aperitivo, but no need to use here. Regular unsalted butter works just fine. Save your fancy butter for when it should be just about the butter.
‘Nduja Honey Butter
Ingredients
- 1 package 'nduja – try La Quercia or 'Nduja Artisan
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp honey, plus more to taste – try Sleeping Bear Dunes
Instructions
- Allow the butter and 'nduja to sit out and come to room temperature. (The butter will take longer).
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the 'nduja, butter, and honey until combined. Taste, then add additional honey or salt if needed.
- Eat with a spoon directly out of the bowl, or store in the fridge in an airtight container. Let come up to room temperature for easier spreading.