White Bean and Chicken Pasta Fagiole

Spring is just around the corner, but winter seems to be lingering still.  I thought I'd bid the cold weather farewell with a hearty comforting soup.  This is reminiscent of a Pasta e Fagiole soup, but I created a white version using white beans, chicken sausage and herbs.  It was topped with a little shredded Parmesan cheese and a garlicky- parsley aioli. Serve with a crusty baguette and a crisp green salad and you've got a great and satisfying meal.

Ingredients for the Chicken Sausage:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 1.5 lbs. ground chicken)
2 eggs
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tbsp. ground sage
1 tsp. ground marjoram
1 tsp. herbs de Provence
3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
zest of one lemon
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. fresh ground pepper.

If you're using the chicken breasts, grind them up in a food processor until you have a ground consistency.  Dump the ground chicken into a bowl and crack in the eggs and blend.  Grate the garlic and add it to the bowl.  If you're using the boneless, skinless chicken breasts add in one tbsp. of olive oil to avoid having dry sausage. Next add in the herbs, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper.  Blend everything well and begin browning the sausage in a non-stick pan with a little olive oil.

Ingredients for the soup:
1 package dry white beans  ( I used navy beans but Cannelini or great northern would work well too. I'd use any except Garbanzo beans.)
8 cups water or chicken stock (if using stock make sure to adjust salt to account for the salt already in the stock)
1.5 lbs  chicken sausage (recipe listed above)
1 large onion
6 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 (1lb.) box of short pasta like tubetti, elbow or shells.  ( I used shells)
1 lemon (juice)
1 Parmesan rind- optional (I save the rinds of cheese blocks for soups like this, but you can omit this and it won't make that big a difference, it just adds a little depth)
1/4 cup fresh chopped Italian flat leaf parsley, plus one tbsp. for garnish
2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish

First add your dry beans to a pressure cooker with the water or stock.  If you don't have a pressure cooker or are running low on time, go ahead and use the canned variety.  Just add in 2 cans of  the beans with their liquid into a stock pot,  plus another 3 cups of water or stock.   While the beans cook, begin dicing your onion and grating 4 of the garlic cloves.  Add the olive oil to a non-stick pan and turn the heat up to medium high.  Add in the onions and garlic and cook until they become tender, about 5 minutes.  Next add in the sausage and blend with the onions and garlic.  Once the beans are cooked, add in the sausage, Parmesan rind, garlic and onions to the stock pot.  If the liquid had reduced too much, add more to have more of a soupy consistency, bearing in mind that the liquid will thicken at the end of cooking a bit. Taste for salt and pepper and season to your liking.  Squeeze in the lemon juice, and add in the pasta shells.  Allow the pasta to cook until it's al dente. Grate the last two garlic cloves and give the soup a good stir.  Lastly add in the parsley and top with the garlic and parsley aioli.

For the Aioli:
4 tbsp. light mayo
2 tbsp. water
1 garlic clove grated
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

Add the mayo and water into a bowl and whisk well.  Next grate in the garlic clove and add the lemon juice.  Add in the parsley and whisk everything well, making sure to remove any lumps.

Spaghetti a la' Carbonara... Using, Wait For it.... Fresh Pasta!

As you may have seen in my previous post, I tried making fresh pasta the other day.  I wanted to make something classic that I hadn't already made so I decided on spaghetti Carbonara.  If you don't have fresh pasta, you can certainly use the boxed kind.

Ingredients:
1 lb. spaghetti
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 package turkey bacon
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 whole onion
5 egg yolks
6 tbsp. cream
1 tsp. grated nutmeg
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, plus more for topping at the end
2 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground would be best
3 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
1/4 cup of the starchy pasta water used to cook the spaghetti
salt to taste

First thing to do is add water to your pasta pot and bring it to a boil, making sure to season the water with some salt.   While the water boils, dice the onion, mince the garlic and cube the bacon and transfer everything to a skillet with one tbsp. of olive oil.  Stir around and cook until the bacon is really crispy, reserving a bit to garnish with at the end. Turn the heat off, but don't remove from the stove because we will be putting the pasta together in this pot later.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks, cream, nutmeg, Parmesan cheese, and a little salt and whisk well.  Set this mixture aside.   If you're using fresh pasta, it will only take about 3 minutes to cook, and this dish has to be assembled really quickly, so make sure everything is done before cooking the pasta.  If you use the boxed kind, it will take about 8 minutes or so which leaves a little more prep time.  Chop the parsley and set aside for now.   Remember the pan with your bacon and onion and garlic? Now we're going to turn the heat of that pan to medium.  Drain the pasta, reserving about half a cup of the starchy pasta water to thin out the Carbonara sauce later.

OK, now we have to work fast. Turn off the heat of the bacon pan, we just turned it back on for a minute to get the pan hot again.  Transfer the pasta into this pan with another tbsp. of olive oil and coat everything around.  Making sure the bacon, onion and garlic are evenly distributed throughout the dish. Next take the egg mixture and add it into the pan with the pasta, whisking really well, but gently enough that you don't break the pasta.  It's important to have the heat turned off at this point because you don't want the egg to scramble.  I found that mixing it with the cream helps to alleviate this problem.  Next add in the pasta water and continue to combine all of the ingredients gently.  I was a little freaked out about eating raw egg so adding in the boiling water of the pasta, along with the heat of the spaghetti noodles, and the heat of the pan, you should be fine.  Me personally, though, that's not enough.  I know Carbonara purists will not agree on this point, but once everything was combined, I turned the heat back up to low and tossed everything around in the pan for about two minutes to make sure this dish was salmonella free.  It was probably fine before, but I didn't want to take the chance.   Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl, top with a little some of the bacon you reserved, a little parsley, some freshly ground black pepper and a little Parmesan, and there you have it folks- Spaghetti a la' Carbonara.

Here are a few action shots of how this dish came together...

Fresh Pasta

As I mentioned in my previous post, the weather has bee absolutely horrific. To the point that my job was closed as of  Tuesday of last week.   By Thursday morning I was feeling a little stir crazy since I hadn't stepped foot outside since Monday evening. I decided to brave the weather and drive to the shopping center that has a Marshall's, Ross and Target right by my house.  Half way through my little excursion I realized that maybe this hadn't been such a good idea since there was ice all over the place.  But when I got to Ross, I changed my mind.  It was one of those days where you find a million things you want or need. And with these kinds of stores it's hit or miss.  Sometimes they have tons of stuff and other times they have nothing.  To my surprise they had a pasta machine on clearance for 19 bucks.  How could I pass up the opportunity to try my hand at fresh pasta?  Here is the recipe and pictures of my first attempt, which I must say was a huge success.  I'll post the Spaghetti Carbonara recipe I made using the fresh pasta next time.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups semolina flour
1 tsp. salt
6 eggs
2 tablespoons canola oil

Combine the semolina flour, the regular flour and the salt in a bowl.  Using a whisk or fork, blend everything really well.  I totally cheated and used my bread machine to do the kneading for me.  If you have a bread machine just add all of the dry ingredients to the bowl and create a well with your finger or spatula to drop the eggs and oil into.  Use the "dough" setting and allow the machine to do all of the work while you sip on a glass of wine or something.  You could also use a food processor or a stand mixer with the dough attachment too.  If you don't have any of these what you'd do is  mix the flour and dump it onto a work surface. Then you'd create a well in the center and add in the eggs.  Combine all of the ingredients well and knead until the dough comes together nicely.

It doesn't matter how to get there, but whatever method you choose, you'll want to follow with these next steps.  Create a ball of dough, wrap in plastic wrap and then refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling it out.

Set up your pasta machine.  Flour a work surface close to the machine so you'll have a place to lay the pasta and dust it with flour to prevent sticking.  Now to begin rolling it.  First, press down on the ball of dough to create a disk.  Don't worry about getting it too flat.  Using a serrated knife, cut a slice of dough and roll it out using a rolling pin.  Adjust the dial of the pasta machine to your desired thickness and place the slab of dough over the top of the rollers.  Turn the crank on the machine to create smooth, thin sheets of pasta.  Run the sheet of pasta through one of cutting attachments.  I used the spaghetti cutter since I was making Carbonara.  If you were making lasagna you'd just use the flat sheet you had before cutting.  You'd also use this to make shapes like ravioli or tortellini.  Dust with a little flour to prevent sticking.  When cooking, it's important to keep in mind that you'll only need to boil the pasta for 2-3 minutes.

Here are a few action shots:

Pasta a la' Rox

Last night I got home and really didn't feel like making anything too complicated.  I wanted something that would be done FAST, but after a long day I didn't want to settle for something like a sandwich.  Not that there's anything wrong with a sandwich, I just wanted a hot plate that would be satisfying- you know, "food food", real food. My little sister-in-law was at our house and pasta is her favorite, so I started thinking of what pasta dish I could make.  I remembered that I came up with this dish a few months ago. This is pasta done my way, hence the name of the post.   I don't know why I never blogged about it, maybe because I knew this one was a keeper and I'd be making it again soon. Turns out, I was right and here's the proof!

Ingredients:
1 box linguine
1 large onion (preferably red)
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 large (20 oz. I think) can of crushed tomatoes
1 tsp. sugar ( I used brown)
3 tbsp. butter or olive oil
1 tbsp. flour
1/4 cup extra dry vermouth (or any dry white wine)
4 tbsp. cream or half & half  (if you want to watch the fat on this dish use fat free half and half and reduce the butter or olive oil to 1 tbsp.)
1/4 cup capers with their brine
1 package turkey bacon
4 tbsp.  fresh chopped parsley to add on top at the end
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese to add on top at the end
A pinch of red pepper flakes (optional) to add on top at the end

First turn up your oven to 400 degrees.  Place the bacon strips on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven.  While the bacon cooks,  add water to a tall pot, season with a liberal amount of salt and bring to a boil. Once the water is vigorously boiling, add in the linguine.  Cook the pasta until it's al dente, about 8 minutes.  While the pasta cooks, let's begin making the sauce.   Chop up the onion, a medium to small dice would be good.  Roughly chop up the garlic and add the butter or olive oil to the pan.  Turn up the heat to medium-high and once the butter melts or the oil gets hot, add in half of the onion you just chopped and all of the garlic. Saute until the onion and garlic become tender and then add in the flour.  Combine well and add the crushed tomatoes and cream.  Stir everything really well and season with a little salt.   Next add in the vermouth and two tablespoons of the chopped parsley. Stir the sauce well and let it simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.   While the sauce simmers,  check on the pasta.  If it's done, drain it well and rinse with water to prevent sticking.  Check on the bacon, and once it's slightly crispy, remove from the oven and begin to slice.   Check on the sauce and add in the capers and sugar. Make sure to add some of the caper brine along with the capers to the sauce, it adds a really nice flavor.  Stir to combine all of the ingredients well.   Taste the sauce to make sure the seasoning is to your liking, adding salt as needed.  Now lets begin assembling your pasta.  Transfer the linguine to a bowl and spoon some sauce over the pasta.  Add some of the raw onion you reserved, some chopped parsley and the turkey bacon.  Don't forget to add a little shredded Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.  Serve hot and enjoy!

Baked Mac n' Cheese

Ingredients:
1 (2 lb.) box elbow macaroni
water (enough to be a little over an inch from the top of the macaroni)
1 tsp. salt (for seasoning the water)
1 small onion
1/2 small green pepper
1 small chili pepper ( I used a bird pepper)
5 springs thyme
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 egg
5 tbsp. butter
2  1/2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cans evaporated milk

The first thing to do is pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.  Add the water to a large pot and bring to a boil.  While the water comes to a boil begin to finely dice the onions and green pepper.  You want to make sure that the dice is super small.  Season the the water in the pot with one tsp. of salt, three sprigs of thyme, the paprika, and half of the cut up onions and peppers. Next add the macaroni.  Allow the macaroni to cook on medium high heat until all of the water evaporates.  Make sure to stir everything around often to prevent the macaroni from sticking to the bottom.  Once the water has evaporated, turn the heat to low, add in the rest of the onions and peppers and stir well.  Next add in the butter and milk and combine well again. Remove the thyme leaves and from the remaining sprigs and add it to the pot along with a little paprika. If you want the dish to be a little more spicy add in some cayenne pepper to taste.

Add in the cheese in thirds, reserving some for the topping at the end and combine well.  Once the cheese has melted evenly, turn off the heat. Take out a baking dish and spray with cooking  spray or butter the dish to prevent sticking.  Ok, we're almost done!  Crack the egg into a bowl and whisk it well.  Add the egg to the macaroni and make sure to stir everything really really well.  The macaroni should be creamy, but not too thick or sticky because it will continue to cook in the oven.  If you see that the mixture is too dry, add a little more milk and stir well.   Transfer this mixture to your baking dish and top with the rest of the shredded cheese.  Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese begins to bubble and get a little toasty. Slice and serve hot.

Chicken Pad Thai

So I know this has nothing to do with Thanksgiving but I couldn't help myself.  I have been craving Asian food lately like it's going out of style.  Pad Thai was always so intimidating to me.  Like it would be so difficult or unattainable at home, but alas, I was surprisingly mistaken.  Like the broccoli beef, this was quite easy.  The most tedious part was chopping all of the veggies, but I personally find chopping vegetables therapeutic- weird I know...

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package flat medium width rice noodles

1 carrot
1/2 red pepper
1 bunch scallions
1 tbsp. minced ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
4 eggs beaten and cooked
1/2 cup bean sprouts
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. siracha (asian hot sauce with the rooster on the front)
1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
canola or peanut oil for stir frying
4 lime wedges

Begin by thinly slicing the chicken breasts into slivers.  Season with a little salt and set aside.  Add 2 tbsp. of canola or peanut oil to a wok and turn the heat up to high.  Once the pan is hot, add the chicken and saute until the chicken is cooked through.  Transfer to a holding plate. In a separate pot, add some water and bring to a boil.  Peel the carrot and slice into thin matchstick pieces.  Slice the red pepper into thin strands and add to the wok with a little more oil and the carrot.  Saute on high heat for a few minutes, until the veggies still retain a bit of bite, but don't get soft.  Transfer to the holding plate.  The water should be boiling by now.  Drop in your rice noodles and cook them for about 4-5 minutes.  Making sure that they're al dente since you'll continue to cook them a bit in the wok later.  Transfer the noodles to a colander and rinse with cold water to prevent the noodles from sticking together.   Add a little more oil to the wok, and scramble the eggs.  Cook them until they're a soft scramble- you want them slightly on the wet side.  Put them on the holding plate once cooked. Slice the scallions on the bias and roughly chop your cilantro and set aside. Now it's time to  create the sauce for the pad Thai.  In a separate bowl, add the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, siracha, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar and rice wine vinegar.  Combine well with a whisk and set aside. Add a little more oil to the pot and transfer the noodles to the wok.  Gently stirring around.  Dump all of the cooked ingredients on your holding plate and the eggs and begin gently tossing everything around.  Next add the sauce and continue to toss.  Add the scallions, cilantro and bean sprouts- reserving some cilantro and scallions for the garnish.  Once everything is combined well, transfer to a plate.  Garnish with the cilantro and scallions in the middle and top with the crushed roasted peanuts.  Serve with lime wedges.  Enjoy!

Low- Carb Lasagna

Pasta is totally an example of those things you miss when you're watching your carbs.  This is a clever way to eat more veggies and still enjoy the comfort food you crave.  If you're not watching your carbs, just follow the same recipe and substitute the the zucchini noodles for lasagna. When I make the traditional lasagna, I soak the noodles in hot water until it's time to assemble so they're pliable. No need to cook them through because they'll cook in the oven.  Just be sure to be generous with the sauce if you do it this way.

Ingredients:
ground chicken (2.5 lbs)
4 garlic cloves
1 large onion
2 tbsp. fresh parsley (finely chopped)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup unflavored whey protein powder
3 eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock
2 large zucchinis
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/3 tsp. nutmeg, grated
salt and pepper to taste

The first thing to do, is pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Next remove the ground chicken from the package and put in a mixing bowl.  Grate 3 large garlic cloves into the bowl.  Now take your onion and remove the skin.  Cut it in half and grate the half into the bowl.  Reserve the other half for the tomato sauce.  Crack one egg into the bowl and combine.  Add the Parmesan cheese and whey powder to the bowl (this will sub as the bread crumbs in the traditional recipe).  Add a little salt, but go easy because the cheese is salty.  Next throw in a pinch of the oregano and one tbsp. of the fresh parsley.  If you like you can also add a little basil.  I left it out this time though.   Combine all of the ingredients well and add a little olive oil to a skillet.  Once it gets hot, add the ground chicken and begin cooking through.

While the chicken is browning, you can begin slicing the zucchini.  I used a mandolin to get even slices.  The trick is to slice them lengthwise so that they resemble lasagna noodles.  Set aside until you're ready to assemble the lasagna.

I am not a big fan of ricotta in lasagna because I find that it can be kind of gritty instead of creamy and smooth.  I found a way to help remedy this issue.  I put the ricotta into a food processor and let it run on high for about 1 minute.  Next I crack the eggs in and turn on the processor again.  I transfer this mixture to a mixing bowl.  Add the nutmeg and 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese and incorporate well.

The last step before we begin the assembly of the lasagna is to make the sauce.  If you're not up to making the sauce from scratch, you can use a bottled one.  I LOVE Emeril's "Roasted Gaaahlic" sauce. Any who to make the sauce, just dice up the onion and grate the garlic.  Sauté in olive oil and add the tomato sauce and tomato paste.  Add the chicken stock and combine well.  Add the spices and allow for the sauce to simmer until the consistency is to your liking.

Now to assemble the lasagna.  Add a ladle full of sauce to the bottom of the lasagna pan and spread evenly.  Lay down the first layer of zucchini noodles.  Next top with the ground chicken.  After that add the ricotta mixture and spread. I find a spatula or butter knife works well for this.  Take another ladle full of sauce and spoon over the top. Lastly add some mozzarella cheese.  Repeat this process till you get to the top of the pan.  Top with mozzarella and bake until the cheese is bubbly- about 30 minutes.

Spaghetti Bolognese

You ever have one of those days when you can't decide what to make? I defrosted some ground turkey and didn't want to make the usual meatloaf. Then I remembered the dish someone had ordered at this Italian restaurant my husband  and I went to on Friday night. Spaghetti Bolognese is what it looked like to me, but at the time I had my sights set on something else on the menu. But today is a different day, and Spaghetti Bolongese is the perfect end to a perfect, albeit short, weekend. So here's how you make it. (I took the recipe from Emeril live and modified it a bit).

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 cups finely chopped onions

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 cup finely chopped carrots

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds ground turkey

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp fresh rosemary (finely chopped)

2 teaspoons salt

2 bay leaves

1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1 1/2 cup water

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

1 cup extra dry vermouth

1/2 cup evaporated milk

In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onions to the pot and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir the celery, carrots and garlic into the pot and cook until the vegetables are wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey to the vegetables, stirring to mix and break up the meat, and cook until starting to brown and no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Season the meat with the herbs (fresh and dried), and salt, to taste.


Add all remaining ingredients except the milk and cheese, lower the heat and simmer uncovered until thickened, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring from time to time. Immediately prior to serving, add the milk and cheese to the sauce and stir well to incorporate. Serve with capellini, top with grated parmigiano and garnish with fresh basil.



P.S. You'll notice on the labels to this post I added "beef" as a category because technically this dish is really made with beef and is totally interchangeable with turkey.

Mama's Macaroni

When I was really little my favorite dish was my Mama's Macaroni. Nothing made my day more than when my mom asked me what I wanted for dinner, and I knew she would make Macaroni. I don't know why this was my favorite... there wasn't anything really special about it. But there were a few times that I got in trouble for sticking my hand in the pot after everyone had eaten dinner. Maybe I needed something to remind me of home today. I was in Miami the week before last and the time went by too fast. I always go through a "withdrawal" period after I go home to visit or family comes to visit me. Mama's macaroni was just the thing I needed today to help me feel like I was back home. So here's how you make it.

Ingredients:
1 box macaroni or other short pasta like rotini
1 onion
1/4 green pepper
1/4 red pepper
5 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cans tomato sauce (8 oz. cans)
2 tbsp. Ketchup
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 lb. Turkey ham ( my mom used regular ham, but since i don't eat pork this is the best substitute)
6 slices American Cheese
Salt to taste



First add the macaroni to a pot of boiling water. Next chop the onions, red and green peppers, garlic and turkey ham and add it to a pot with some olive oil. Cook until browned. Next add the tomato sauce, ketchup and the white wine. The next thing you will do is add the cheese to the sauce and stir to incorporate well. By this time the macaroni should be cooked. Drain in a colander.  Then add the macaroni to the sauce and delicately combine.

Serve and top with grated cheese and eat up!

Giada Di Laurentis' Butternut Squash Tortellini with Brown Butter Sauce

We recently got a DVR and now I can watch all of my favorite cooking shows that are on during the day while I am at work. Every once in a while I actually make something that I get inspired by. I saw Giada di Laurentis make this and I tried the recipe when my mom was in town and it was a hit. I substituted the Amareti cookies in the recipe for graham crackers and it worked just fine. So here's how you make it.

(Taken from foodtv.com)
1 butternut squash, approximately 2 pounds, cubed (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
1 1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 large shallots, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
4 small amaretti cookies, crushed (about 1/3 cup)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 package small wonton wrappers
Brown Butter Sauce:
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 tablespoons torn fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries, or chopped dried cherries, or mixture of both
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

To make the Tortellini, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. On a foil-lined baking sheet toss together the butternut squash, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, herbs de Provence, salt, and pepper. Bake in the oven until soft and golden, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Cook the shallots and garlic until lightly golden, about 3 minutes.

In a food processor, combine the butternut squash mixture, the shallot mixture, and the ricotta cheese and pulse a few times to blend. Add the crushed amaretti cookies, the nutmeg, and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pulse until smooth. The tortellini filling can be made one day ahead.

To make the tortellini, lay out 6 wonton skins, keeping the remaining skins inside the package or under a very lightly dampened paper towel. Place 1 tablespoon of squash mixture in the middle of each skin. Dip a pastry brush in a little water and wet the edges of the skin. Gently fold the square wrapper into a triangle, making sure the edges are securely closed and there are no air pockets inside. Dampen the two bottom corners of the longest side of the triangle and gently bring them together, pressing lightly to secure. Place the formed tortellini on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Before laying out another 6 wonton sheets, be careful to dry the work surface. This will help keep tortellini from sticking to the baking sheet. Continue until all the butternut squash mixture is used. There should be approximately 36 tortellini. (The tortellini can be formed, frozen on the baking sheet, transferred to a tightly sealed plastic bag or container and stored for up to six months. To cook, simply toss the frozen ravioli into the salted boiling water and cook for 4 minutes.)

To make the sauce and serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.

Add the sage, walnuts and cranberries and let cook until the butter starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat off and season with salt, and pepper.

Stir to combine. Then, gently place the tortellini in the boiling water and gently stir. When they begin to float they are done, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, gently spoon the tortellini onto a serving platter, Top with the brown butter sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.