Butternut and Ricotta Rotolo with Sage Brown Butter

Team: The Salty Cookies

Host School: BFA Fairfax High School

Age Group: High School

Ingredients

  • Garlic
  • Sage
  • Nutmeg
  • Oil
  • Squash
  • Pasta
  • Flour
  • Egg
  • Ricotta
  • Parmesan
  • Salt & pepper
  • Mace
  • Butter

Preparation Instructions

STEP 1
Mix the garlic, chopped sage, nutmeg, 1 tbsp oil and season. Add the squash and toss. Saute in a pan for 40 minutes – 1 hour until soft and dry (see cook’s notes at the bottom).

STEP 2
For the pasta, tip the flour into a food processor and whizz once to save having to sift it. Add the egg plus the yolk, and blend again until it forms a ball, adding 1 tbsp of water to help if needed. Tip onto a floured work surface and knead until it’s very smooth. Wrap in clingfilm and rest at room temperature.

STEP 3
Tip the roasted squash mix into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the ricotta and grated parmesan, season with salt and pepper, and a pinch of mace.

STEP 4
Roll the pasta out until it’s 1mm thin, and approximately a 50cm x 40cm rectangle. Slide a clean, thin white cotton tea towel underneath the pasta sheet.

STEP 5
Spread the squash filling over the pasta using a spatula, leaving a 1cm border around the edges.

STEP 6
Use the tea towel to help you roll the pasta up like a swiss roll, starting from the edge closest to you. Brush the top edge with the beaten egg and seal.

STEP 7
Wrap the pasta roll in the tea towel and tie with string in 10cm intervals (not too tightly or this will leave dents in the pasta). Secure the ends firmly with more string and add a loop to each end to use as a handle.
 

STEP 8
Heat a fish kettle or deep roasting tin filled with water (deep enough to submerge the pasta roll) and bring to a boil. Add a pinch of salt. Gently lower the pasta into the water and simmer for 20 minutes, remove and leave to cool for a minute while you fry the sage leaves.
 

STEP 9
Heat the butter in a pan, continually stirring until it turns light brown and smells nutty. Add the whole sage leaves and fry for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat.
 

STEP 10
Unwrap the rotolo, cut 5cm sections on an angle (with a clean wet knife if it starts to stick) and arrange on plates, pouring over the sage, butter and top with parmesan shavings.