pumpkin, sage and pecan raviloi with white bean and garlic sauce and frizzled leeks

Recipe directly from The Voluptuous Vegan

This was one of my epic dinner parties, where I think oh yes I'll make all this food, nothing I've ever made before and it will be totally fine and I wont get stressed at all. WRONG (because I served this with coconut cream pie with chocolate ganache as well - recipe to come). Only do this when you have the time. This made a serious BUTTLOAD of raviolis, so you may want to halve the recipe? You can get fresh wonton wrappers in a stack from an asian supermarket in the fridge. Wonton wrappers have been a complete revelation, easy, fresh, vegan pasta!

ingredients

1 butternut, halved (you will need 2 cups of cooked squash)
3 tbsp of olive oil
1 onion, finely diced (1 cup)
1/2 cup of chopped pecans
2 tbsp of fresh minced sage
Fresh ground salt and pepper
Wonton wrappers

method
1. Roast the pumpkin face down in an oven heated at 350 (I have an old oven so American cookbooks work for me, but that’s about 180 degrees). Bake for 45 minutes or until tender (I found it needed at least an hour but again maybe my ancient oven).

2. Scoop the flesh into a bowl and mash. While its cooking fry up the onion in the oil until they are brown then add the pecans and the sage until heated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Next time I'm going to throw in a teaspoon of maple syrup too, I think this will really bring out the flavours of the pumpkin and the pecans. I then blended the ingredients, the cookbook just uses them as is. I found it was a little too chunky to work with.

4. Put a big teaspoon at the back end of a wonton wrapper and wet the sides with your finger tips (dipped in a bit of water), fold over and press together with a fork. This made approx 40 raviolis, but will probably make more because I was experimenting with wrappers/amounts/folding etc. Cook the raviolis in boiling water for a few minutes, they are done when they float to the top (make sure they're not sticking to the bottom like mine were!).

white bean and garlic sauce

1 tin of butter beans, rinsed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5 sprigs of fresh sage
Handful of fresh thyme twigs
1 bay leaf
2.5 cups of stock
2 tsp of lemon juice
Fresh pepper

1. Cook the onions in the oil until they are starting to brown, add the garlic and cook a few more minutes. Add the beans and 2.5 cups of stock. Tie herbs together with a string (I didn’t and just fished them out later), bring to a simmer for 15 minutes to allow the flavours to marry. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaf and herbs. Ladle over raviolis.

frizzled leeks

3 medium leeks
1 tbsp of olive oil (I used way more but that’s because I'm a fatty)

1. Trim and clean the leeks, cut in half lengthwise then cut into 2 inch pieces, toss in the oil and salt and put in a baking tray in an oven heated to 375. Stir every 5 minutes or so for half an hour until they are brown and crispy. Serve a blob on top of the pasta! This seriously took the dish to the next level.