Butternut Squash + Blue Cheese Ravioli

Prepare The Filling:

• Heat the oven to 425F with the racks in the middle and lowest positions. Cut off the stem side of the garlic heads to expose the top of each of the cloves. Place each head on its own piece of foil, cut side up, and pour 1 tsp olive oil over each head. Wrap the cloves in the foil, keeping the cut side facing up, and pinch the foil closed. Place the foil pouches on the middle rack of the oven and roast 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toss the butternut squash with the thyme leaves, ½ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp pepper, and 3 tbsp olive oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Add to the oven with the garlic and roast on the lowest rack for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through roasting.
• When the garlic is cool enough to handle, use a small paring knife to pop the cloves out of the paper into a large bowl. Add the roasted squash and mash together until just combined (you can also use a potato ricer if you like!) Drizzle the honey over the top, and add the butter, stock, 1/2 tsp salt, and a few cracks of black pepper and gently combine. Taste, and add more salt or pepper if desired. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. When cooled, fold in the blue cheese.

Assemble The Ravioli:

• Divide the pasta dough evenly into 8 pieces. Roll the dough in a pasta roller to 1/16 of an inch (the second to last/thinnest setting on most rollers), then cut each rolled out strip in half crossways and lightly dust with flour. As you work, store the rolled out pieces on a floured baking sheet, loosely covered with cling wrap.
• Prepare a large, clean workspace, a pastry brush, and a small dish of water. Half of the prepared pasta sheets will receive filling, and the other half will cover them to form the ravioli pouches. Spread half of the pasta sheets out on your workspace. Use a melon baller to scoop 1 tbsp of filling at a time onto the pasta sheets, placing them 1 inch apart from each other and 1 inch away from edges. Working with one pasta sheet at a time, dip the pastry brush in the water and paint a line between the filling scoops and around the edges. Place a plain sheet of pasta over the top and use your fingers to press the pasta together around the filling, getting the pasta as snug to the filling as possible. The pasta is elastic, so don’t be afraid to stretch it a bit! Think of wrapping the pasta around the filling, rather than squishing down onto the filling. When you have finished sealing the two pasta sheets together, use a pasta cutter or a knife to cut apart into raviolis.
• Prepare a large pot of salted water and cook the ravioli 4-5 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain.

Prepare The Sauce:

• In a large saucepan dry toast the walnuts over medium-low heat, stirring every minute or so until fragrant. Remove and set aside. Melt 4 tbsp of the butter in the pan. Add the olive oil, thyme, white wine, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer. Simmer until reduced by half. Add the 1 cup pasta water, remaining 2 tbsp butter, and whole milk. Season with salt and pepper, return to a simmer, and continue to simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the thyme sprigs.
• Toss the ravioli with the sauce to coat, and serve topped with walnuts and more thyme leaves.

• In a medium bowl, beat the eggs to blend. Add 1 3/4 cups of the flour, the salt, and the olive oil, and mix with a fork until just moistened. Use your hands to mix into a shaggy dough.
• Turn out onto a clean surface and knead with your hands about 5-8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic (this takes some elbow grease!) If the dough is too wet, add a little more of the remaining flour as needed. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rest at least 30 minutes. (Pasta can be made up to a day in advance. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate.)
• When you are ready to roll and cut, divide the dough ball into 6 pieces and work with one at a time, keeping the other 5 pieces set aside and covered with the plastic wrap. Use a pasta roller to roll each piece to your desired thickness (you can also use a rolling pin if you don’t have a pasta roller, but a roller will make the process much easier!) I roll ravioli to a 7 (the second to thinnest setting on most rollers), lasagne to a 7, fettuccine to a 6, and farfalle to a 6. If you want to re-roll the pasta dough scraps, form them into a ball and allow to rest 30 minutes before rolling.
• Cook fresh pasta in well-salted boiling water for 1-3 minutes (cooking time usually depends on the size of the pasta.) Keep in mind that the pasta will continue to cook a bit more once it has been drained from residual heat.