Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter, Sage and Hazelnuts

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Filling: Cut the pumpkin into small chunks, toss with a little olive oil and season. Place on a lined baking tray and roast until tender. Tip into a bowl and cool. Using a fork, mash the pumpkin with the remaining filling ingredients and season well. The filling should be very thick.

Pasta: Roll out the pasta to the 5th notch on the pasta machine. Cut into 24 x 8 cm squares.

Place a heaped spoonful of filling in the centre of 12 pasta squares and brush the edges with beaten egg. Top with another pasta square and press down gently, around the filling, to seal and expel any air. Be careful not to get any filling on the edges as this will prevent them sealing properly and the filling will ooze out during cooking. Trim the edges if necessary. The ravioli should be filled as plump as possible, but still be well sealed. You may have a little filling left. Line a tray with baking paper and sprinkle lightly with flour. Place the ravioli, spaced out, on the tray. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The ravioli are best cooked on the day of making but can be frozen for several weeks.

To serve: Melt the butter in a sauté pan, add the sage leaves and cook until the butter is a nutty brown and the sage is crisp. Stir in the lemon juice. Set aside and keep warm.

Pasta: Cook the ravioli in batches, in a large saucepan of well salted, boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Place the cavalo nero in warm serving bowls. Remove the ravioli with a slotted spoon and place 3 on each plate. Spoon over the warm sage butter. Crumble an amaretti biscuit and a few hazelnuts over each portion and serve with extra Parmesan cheese. 

Thin wonton wrappers can be used in place of the home-made pasta dough. Available from Asian food stores.