Roasted Garlic and Goat Cheese Ravioli with a Butternut Squash Sauce

 Oh. My. Goodness. This dish is definitely the one I am the most excited to blog about. It truly captivates the umami flavours. It’s rich, it’s luxurious, it’s creamy and it is packed full of flavour. I write this blog as I sit back on my couch, drinking a glass of delectable red wine, wishing I had a plate of this masterpiece in front of me right now.

Now I cannot take any credit for designing these recipes. I discovered them through three brilliant creators. First, the Roasted Garlic and Goat Cheese filling was designed by a blogger named Caroline Pestel. Second, the Butternut Squash Saucerecipe was written by The Cook Report. Lastly, the pasta dough recipe was shown in a YouTube video by Gennaro Contaldo and Jamie Oliver. I simply combined them to make one incredible dish, and decided to write a review on how delicious it was.

To find the list of ingredients that I used for this recipe, please click on the links contained in the highlighted names that I stated above.

I will say one thing though in reference to the preparation, that may not appeal to some people. It is A LOT of work. The prep and cook time together took approximately 2 hours. One reason why was because I do not have a pasta rolling machine. I highly recommend making this with a machine. I used a rolling pin and this is why the process was so time-consuming. Most of the time was spent rolling out the dough. And I have my wonderful husband to thank for that. His help and care is always greatly appreciated with my experiments. If he hadn’t helped me roll out the dough I think I would still be rolling it out to this day, and I made this recipe about 2 weeks ago…

Even though it took a lot of elbow grease and a slightly broken rolling pin, the dough still turned out to be delicious. The other downfall to not having a machine is it is extremely difficult to roll the dough thin enough when using a rolling pin. Gennaro says the pasta dough must be so thin that it will flutter on the table if you blow on the side of it. My dough did flutter but it was still quite thick. Which therefore caused it to take even longer to boil. Gennaro also said the rolling pin would be my best friend… more like my worst enemy.

Was it worth it? Yes. Would I ever make pasta dough by hand again? Only if I have a machine. I will say, that I did learn a lot and enjoyed the process greatly.

Next! The filling! Which was utterly spectacular. I loooove roasted garlic. I love the idea of wrapping it in foil and baking it in the oven until it is all caramelized. I also love the satisfaction of squeezing the cloves out of the skin, watching them ooze out, releasing their roasted, sweet aromatics, before forming them into a succulent paste. Beautiful to watch and even more beautiful to eat. 

Mix this sweet creation with a silky, tangy goat and parmesan cheese, and my friends, you have perfection. To top it off, I added extra pepper to my filling. I have always enjoyed the kick that pepper gives to any dish, complimenting the other ingredients while paying careful attention not to overpower them. The spinach was also well suited for this filling, and it made me feel like I was a little healthy despite all the calories.

Okay. Now for the sauce. Why did I choose butternut squash, you may ask? Because I had one leftover from a friend and I felt motivated to make this dish. I have always wanted to make homemade pasta and knew that my first creation would be ravioli. A few years ago I had an absolutely delicious butternut squash ravioli at a restaurant in Quebec. I never forgot that dish. My fellow foodies, that is the beauty of food. It creates memories that you will cherish for a life time. When I saw this squash, I thought of the flavours I got to experience that night and wanted to attempt to recreate them. Hence, the inspiration.

My sauce was much thicker than in the original recipe. However, I used more squash than instructed. I also added more chicken broth, salt and crème fraiche than the recipe mentioned, to make it even richer and more savoury.

Furthermore, the scents that filled the kitchen when the rosemary was frying in the butter was astounding. I used fresh rosemary from my mother. Another fact about me, I love rosemary. An herb that can be used in so many different ways. And it looks lovely when used as a decoration on a plate.

Finally, the nutmeg and cinnamon paired beautifully with the flavours of the sauce. These are two common ingredients used when one makes a recipe with squash. They contribute astounding accents to this dish, like the second violins in a symphony’s concerto.

Taste Test

That first bite. You make sure your fork contains a well-balanced portion of both sauce and ravioli. You bring the precious package up to your mouth, blowing on it several times to ensure not to burn your taste buds and ruin the entire experience. You take a bite and feel fireworks go off in your mouth. This is amazing, wonderful, and implausible. These words that I am using can’t even accurately describe how flavourful this is! You have created a masterpiece. You taste the woodiness of rosemary, the creaminess of the goat cheese paired with a caramel-like flavour from the garlic, and accompanied by a slight heat from the pepper.

In addition, the silky sauce compliments the goat cheese so well! The sweet squash is so delightful that it could be eaten on its own. Hints of cinnamon and nutmeg escape from the richness, adding the feeling of comfort to the dish. You are happy, you are content, you are at peace. All of that hard work paid off. You have recreated a work of art. Pair the pasta with a fresh salad and some savoury chicken breast wrapped in bacon, and your plate is complete.

As my Grandfather would say, this recipe tasted as good as angels peeing on your tongue. True words Grandpa, true words.