Sweet Potato Ravioli With Brown Butter Pecan Sauce Recipe

1. Gather the pasta dough ingredients.

2. On a clean flat surface, mound the flour. Make a deep well in the center of the flour and add the eggs, oil, and salt.

3. Working with a fork from the center of the well outward, mix the eggs, oil, and salt into the flour a little at a time. Try to keep the mound intact as you mix so the eggs won't flow out until you have a kneadable dough.

4. Knead the dough, continuing to add a little more flour, if needed. Dampen your hands with water as you knead if your dough is too dry and stiff. The dough should have a smooth, firm, elastic texture, similar to Play-Doh. Kneading should take about 10 minutes. A slight finger indent in the dough should bounce back pretty quickly.

5. Wrap the dough in plastic and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax, which will make it easier to roll. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.

Prepare the Filling

1. Gather the filling ingredients.

2. Combine the sweet potatoes, ricotta, Parmesan, egg yolk, thyme, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate, covered, while you roll the dough.

Assemble and Cook the Ravioli

1. Divide the dough into quarters. Working one piece at a time (cover the remaining 3 pieces), use a pasta roller to roll pasta sheets, about 6-inches wide x 36-inches long. Be sure to keep dusting the pasta and the pasta rollers lightly with flour as you work to prevent sticking. Roll the remaining dough into sheets, keeping them covered with a damp kitchen towel until ready to use.

2. If you're using a ravioli form, dust it with flour first or the dough will stick. Follow manufacturer's directions for forming the ravioli. Mound about 2 to 3 teaspoons of filling in the center of each ravioli. Alternatively, if you don't have a ravioli form, fill dough sheets on a flat surface.

3. Dab a little of the egg wash along the dough edges around each ravioli before placing second dough sheet over the filled sheet. Separate individual ravioli following ravioli form directions, or with a cookie cutter or pastry wheel.

4. If using right away, cook in a large pot of well salted gently boiling water until al dente, about 2 to 3 minutes. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water for the sauce. Drain well.

5.  If not cooking right away, spread the uncooked ravioli on a flour-dusted baking sheet and freeze in a single layer. Put into freezer bags and keep frozen until ready to cook.

Prepare the Brown Butter Sauce 

1. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet. When the butter foams, add the pecans. Cook, stirring constantly until the butter is browned and aromatic, and the pecans are lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Don't let the mixture cook past light brown or it could burn.

2. Stir in the thyme, salt, and pepper.

3. Add the cooked ravioli to the skillet and toss to coat until just heated through. Add the reserved pasta water a little at a time until the sauce reaches desired consistency. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve immediately with more grated cheese on the side, if desired.