Savory Pumpkin Parmesan Ravioli With Black Pepper Marshmallows

Sorry for the delay in posts- I was off celebrating my 6th birthday that only occurs ever 4 years. Hopefully your leap day was just as amazing as mine! Anyways, does this recipe sound weird?  Even though it might, the flavor combination works surprisingly well.  I had leftover marshmallows from the Trix Cereal Layer Wedding Cake and I really wanted to incorporate them into a savory dish instead of the per usual sweet dessert.  When I googled savory recipes including marshmallows, this Butternut Squash Ravioli With Pepper Marshmallows NPR recipe was one of the extreme few that popped up. I adapted the recipe to include pumpkin and cheese but kept the concept. It bothers me that people throw away leftover canned pumpkin, especially around the holidays, so I wanted to reiterate the fact that pumpkin can replace butternut squash in a variety of ways- one of the easiest being in ravioli. This recipe is light, delicate, yet savory and filling. The marshmallows add this heavenly layer of fluffy sweetness to it all while the freshly cracked black pepper transforms it from a dessert to an entrée.  Store-bought wonton wrappers make the whole thing that much easier.

Savory Pumpkin Parmesan Ravioli With Black Pepper Marshmallows
Makes 4 servings
Total Time: 45 min

• 1 15 oz can pumpkin (about 2 cups)
• 1 large egg
• 3 tbsp grated Parmesan (sub Pecorino, if desired), more to garnish
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup yellow onions (sub shallots, if desired), chopped and sautéed
• 4 roasted garlic cloves, mashed into a paste
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp sage
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 40 wonton wrappers from 1 (12-ounce) package (1 package typically between 48-60), keep under clean damp towel
• Cornmeal for storing finished ravioli
• 6 tablespoons melted butter, divided in half
• 12 large marshmallows
• Freshly ground black pepper
• thinly sliced green onions, to garnish (optional)
• pecans, chopped, to garnish (optional)

Sprinkle some cornmeal on a large baking sheet to store the finished ravioli. Mix pumpkin, egg, cheese, salt, onions, roasted garlic, oregano, sage, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl.  Place 1 heaping teaspoonful of pumpkin filling onto the center of a wonton wrapper. Dab your finger in water and gently moisten the outer 4 edges. Fold the wrapper over to create a triangle, smoothing air bubbles out. *Press edges to seal and repeat with remaining dough and filling. Store ravioli on cornmeal-lined baking sheet covered with a damp kitchen towel until ready to cook.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add a generous pinch of salt. Working in batches, add ravioli to pot and boil until pasta floats, about 3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon, and repeat with remaining ravioli.

Working in batches, roll marshmallows in half of the melted butter and then place on a large microwaveable plate, 1 inch apart.   Crack a generous amount of black pepper on each marshmallow and microwave on 70% power for 12 seconds, until slightly melted.

Add about 8 ravioli to each plate and drizzle with some melted butter. Top each plate with 3 black pepper marshmallows, grated Parmesan (use a microplane to make it look like snow), green onions, and pecans. Serve immediately.

* You can use round or square wonton wrappers and fold them a variety of ways.  In my YouTube video here, I show you how to wrap Asian dumplings 3 ways with round wrappers.  You can use these same dumpling techniques on Italian ravioli made with square wonton wrappers, as I did in this recipe.  I folded the pumpkin ravioli up into little pope hats (the third method seen in the video).