Pumpkin cannelloni with pomegranate, walnuts,
sage and brown butter
Makes 4 appetizer servings
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small sugar pumpkin, or other firm sweet winter squash (about 1 pound), peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch dice (10 ounces after dicing)
¼ cup fennel, cut into ¼ inch dice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 shallot, chopped
8 fresh pasta sheets, 4 x 6 inches each
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 fresh sage leaves
1 shallot, minced
2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
4 teaspoons pomegranate seeds
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the squash and fennel, season with salt and pepper and sear until golden, about 4 minutes. Add the chopped shallots and ¼ cup water, reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Add the pasta sheets to the boiling water and blanch until cooked through, about 1 minute. Shock in the ice water, then drain and pat dry with a tea towel. Lay the pasta sheets on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Spoon a line of pumpkin filling down the center of each pasta sheet, the long way. Roll up the short way, jellyroll style. Arrange the cannelloni, side by side, but not q2
- Bake the cannelloni for 6-8 minutes or the edges start to brown and it’s heated through.
- Just before serving, heat the remaining butter in a small saucepan over high heat until it starts to foam. Add the sage leaves and cook until crisp. Remove the leaves and set aside. Continue to cook until the butter is nutty brown. Immediately add the minced shallot and cook just a minute. Add the pomegranate molasses, pomegranate seeds and walnuts. The butter should foam again. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper.
- Set two cannelloni in the center of each of 4 large warm plates. Spoon the brown butter over the cannelloni and garnish with the shaved parmesan cheese and the fried sage leaves.
|
