I made butternut squash triangoli today using a filling from Evan Funke's recent book American Sfoglino. The dough includes some stone-ground spelt flour, hence the darker color.
I was expecting to tweak the filling to temper the sweetness of the squash but when I tasted it, I was pleasantly surprised with the intensity of the squash flavor so I used it as is. I don't know that anyone's looked at this thread in years, and I already posted over in the Winter Squash cook-off thread but I though I'd share it here, too.
I can't find an online source for the recipe in the book, but paraphrased, it is:
Butternut Squash Filling, he specifies the yield as about 1 QT
One 3-lb butternut squash, peeled and cubed
Kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter
2 fresh sage leaves
Cook the squash in salted water until tender, drain and purée until smooth
Melt the butter in a skillet until bubbly, add the sage leaves and cook a min or so until they are fragrant
Add the squash and salt to taste. Stir constantly for ~ 15 min, until thickened. He specifies to avoid sticking and caramelization on the bottom of the pan. Cool completely and remove sage leaves before using.
I roasted the squash (which I neglected to weigh) instead of boiling and used a much more modest amount of butter (which I neglected to measure). My cook time was a bit less than the specified 15 min. It was quite thick and had reduced to about half the original volume of purée when I took it off the heat.
I would describe it as rich, intense and sweet, in that order. Nothing was needed to temper the sweetness. Because they taste quite rich, next time I think I'll serve them on a bed of sautéed greens.
Funke recommends briefly blanching filled pasta (just until they float) before refrigerating or freezing to avoid moist fillings from making the dough tacky. I did this but haven't cooked any of them to see how they fare. The ones I cooked directly after making had a nice, rich texture and flavor.
