Goat cheese filled sweet potato pasta with crispy pancetta, pickled apples, candied pumpkin seeds, sautéed spinach, and sage brown butter.
This dish has a myriad of fall flavors with its sweet potato pasta, creamy goat cheese, salty pancetta, sweet-tart apples, crunchy pumpkin seed, and earthy brown butter sauce.
There are five recipes to create this dish, and if you roast the sweet potatoes too, it’s six. Not to mention that making pasta and forming ravioli can be very labor-intensive. The pasta can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. So, I suggest breaking the work up into two days, making the pasta one day and finishing the dish on another. In fact, all of the recipes can be made in advance except for the brown butter sauce.
The pasta recipe makes a large batch of ravioli. You can freeze any extra for up to one month. Or make ravioli with half and form the rest into the shape of choice, i.e., fettuccini. The shaped pasta can then be dried and kept in an airtight container for later use.
Leftover potatoes can be used in the dough. But you do want the potatoes as dry as possible. Puree with a lot of moisture will require adding extra flours. This should not affect the consistency of the pasta, but the sweet potato flavor will start to get lost. If your puree has a lot of moisture, spread it on a sheet pan in a thin layer and bake it in a low oven for about an hour.
Sweet Potato Ravioli
Ingredients
Pasta
- 1 1/2 cups sweet potato puree
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 3/4 cup semolina more for dusting
- 2 cups flour more for dusting
Filling
- 12 ounces goat cheese
- 1/2 cup cream
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 cups olive oil
Pickled Apple
- 2 apples
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 6 tbsp sugar
- 4 tsp salt
- 2 sprig thyme
- 2 sprig sage
Brown Butter
- 1 cup pancetta diced
- 15-20 leaves sage
- 3/4 stick butter
- 2 sprig thyme
- 6 cups spinach
Pumpkin Seeds
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 2 tsp honey
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
Instructions
Pasta
- Mix the salt, egg, and potato puree. Mix in the flours. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes or until the dough is smooth. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. Make a 50/50 mix of flour and semolina. Divide the dough into 6 parts. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough into sheets. Dust the dough with the 50/50 flour mix when it starts to get sticky. If using a pasta roller roll to the #2 thickness setting or about an 1/8 of an inch. Keep sheets covered while not in use.
- Lay out one sheet of dough. With a 2 1/2 inch cutter mark the dough without cutting through. Use a 1/2 tablespoon measure to scoop the filling and place it in the center of each circle. Lay another sheet on top. Press around the goat cheese to seal the ravioli. Squeeze out any air bubbles. If the pasta doesn't seal, brush the inside with water or egg wash. Use the cutter to cut the ravioli. Place the ravioli on a sheet pan dusted with 50/50 flour. Keep covered until ready to cook. The ravioli can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for a month.
- After the pancetta is cooked, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the ravioli to the water and cook for 5 minutes. Strain the pasta from the water and add to the sauce.
Filling
- Mix all of the ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.
Pickled Apple
- Cut the apple into 1/4 inch strips. Bring to a boil the vinegar, sugar, salt, thyme, and sage. When the sugar and salt have dissolved, remove the pan from heat and add the apple. Set aside until ready for use.
Pumpkin Seeds
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On a sheet pan lined with parchment, toss the pumpkin seed with honey, salt, and pepper. Toast the seeds for 6-8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Break the seeds apart and set aside until ready for use.
Brown Butter
- In a large skillet cook the pancetta until crisp. Remove from the skillet. Add the sage leaves to the pan and fry until crisp. Remove all but 2 tablespoon of fat from the skillet. Add the butter and the thyme. Cook the butter until lightly browned. Take the pan off the heat and remove the thyme. Add the spinach and cooked ravioli. Gently toss to coat. Place the pasta and spinach on a plate. Garnish with pancetta, pickled apple, pumpkin seeds, and sage leaves. Serve immediately.
