The sheer quantity of recipes online and in my cookbook library can be overwhelming. I continuously collect recipes in my Epicurious and Martha Stewart profiles. I keep a binder of magazine tear sheets. I keep a recipe box of index cards. Like everyone, I have infinite choices at my fingertips.

So when I have a basic idea of what to make for dinner, I generally combine several recipes, distilling the best parts of each. I think the most thrilling aspect of cooking is the alchemy of creation. And I love the small triumph of creating the perfect recipe.

On Sunday, I wanted a pasta with dark, leafy greens. Most of the recipe comes from Martha Stewart’s Rigatoni with Swiss Chard. As my own twist, I replaced the chard with kale, added roasted butternut squash and a few pinches of nutmeg. The spice of the red pepper, the zest of the lemon, and the creamy fresh ricotta make this an outstanding and perfectly balanced pasta dish.

Penne with Fresh Ricotta, Kale and Butternut Squash
2 to 3 servings

Ingredients
3/4 lb penne
1 tblsp unsalted butter
3 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
1 1/2 lbs kale, stems removed, leaves cut into 1/2-inch strips (about 5 cups)
zest of two lemons
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
2 pinches nutmeg
fresh grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling
2 cups cubed butternut squash, 2-inch cubes
salt and fresh black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Spread the butternut squash on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 1 tblsp extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast until golden brown and cooked through, tossing occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes. Set aside.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tblsp salt and the pasta. Cook until al dente. Drain.

3. Meanwhile, heat the butter and 2 tblsp olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add garlic, shallots and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the kale, lemon zest, wine, 1 tsp salt and black pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until kale has just wilted, about 3 minutes.

4. Stir in pasta, ricotta, and nutmeg. Add some extra-virgin olive oil to loosen the sauce if necessary. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the roasted butternut squash. Divide among serving dishes. Generously sprinkle with Parmesan and fresh black pepper.

Pasta Fagioli is a rustic, thick soup made with cannellini beans and ditalini pasta. The base consists of a classic mirepoix, garlic, chicken stock and San Marzano tomatoes. I used canned cannellini beans to save time, though Noni would tell you to soak them overnight. Mashing up some of the beans into the soup creates a rich and silky broth.
This humble peasant soup will warm your heart on these first chilly nights of late summer.

Pasta Fagioli
serves 4

Ingredients
3 slices Niman Ranch bacon, chopped
1 large red onion, chopped fine
2 carrots, chopped fine
2 ribs celery, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, chopped
several pinches of dried oregano
1 Bay leaf
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 16-oz cans white beans, rinsed and drained well
1 28-oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 cup Ditalini or Tubetti (small tubular pasta)
4 tblsp chopped fresh parsley
freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
salt and fresh black pepper

1. In a heavy saucepan or Dutch Oven over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring, until it is crisp and fat has rendered. Pour off all but 2 tbslp of the fat, and add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the vegetables have softened, about 8 minutes.

2. Add the broth, chopped tomatoes, oregano and bay leaf to the sauce pan and bring to a simmer. In a bowl, mash 1/2 cup of the beans, and stir them into the soup. Simmer the mixture, covered, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the pasta and the rest of the whole beans. Simmer, covered until the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes. If desired, thin the soup out with more broth or water. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

4. Serve in soup bowls and sprinkle with chopped parsley and a generous showering of Parmesan cheese.

Here is another delicious recipe for ravioli made with wonton wrappers. I find that it’s always best to seal the edges with an egg wash (rather than water), to minimize breakage. It’s also a good idea to refrigerate the ravioli for an hour after you assemble them.

The flavors of this menu are bright and well-balanced…creamy ravioli with a simple sauce of parsley and parmesan, and earthy swiss chard spiked with lemon juice. The original recipes come from Martha Stewart, but I tweeked the ingredients after making the menu several times. This meal tastes even better over candlelight with your special someone

Goat Cheese Ravioli

Ingredients (serves 2)
4 oz goat cheese
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 garlic clove, crushed through a garlic press
pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp honey
sea salt and fresh pepper

12 square wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten
2 tblsp chopped fresh parsley
3 tblsp olive oil
1 tblsp grated parmesan
1 tsp water
salt and pepper

1. In a small bowl, mash together goat cheese, ricotta, garlic, nutmeg and honey until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, stir until combined. In another small bowl, beat the egg.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a clean surface, lay out 6 wonton wrappers. Spoon 1 tblsp of the filling in the center of each wrapper. Use a small pastry brush to paint the edges of the wrapper with the egg wash. Fold the corners of the wrapper over the filling to form a triangle. Be careful to keep the filling away from the edges. Flatten areas around the filling to press out air pockets. Seal the edges firmly with fingertips. Place the ravioli on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining wonton wrappers. Refrigerate for an hour, or up to one day.

3. In a small bowl, stir together the ingredients for the parsley sauce.

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; reduce to a bare simmer. Carefully drop the ravioli into the water, one at a time; stir gently to prevent sticking. Cook until al dente, 5 to 7 minutes.

5. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the ravioli to an oiled, parchment paper lined baking sheet. Divide between two plates and drizzle with parsley sauce (add more olive oil if needed). Sprinkle with extra parmesan cheese.

Serve with Lemony Swiss Chard

Like many epicurians, autumn is my favorite food season. When a warm kitchen wafts the aromas of pumpkin, mushrooms, roasted garlic, stuffing, or apple pie…I’m in heaven. Probably why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday (plus it’s secular).

There is finally a chill in the night air in LA and I’m going to warm it up. Tonight I made a restaurant favorite… pumpkin ravioli with a sage butter sauce (actually I used butternut squash, but they’re interchangeable). I love using wonton wrappers as ravioli pasta. They come out so delicate and you can see the gorgeous orange color of the filling through the dough. The key to success here is not over-filling, sealing the edges firmly, and freezing for 30 minutes so they don’t fall apart when boiling.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce
2 servings

Ingredients
12 wonton wrappers
1 butternut squash, halved, seeded, peeled and cut in 1 inch cubes (Trader Joe’s carries bags of these already prepped, use 2 bags)
1 tblsp golden brown sugar
1 large shallot, chopped
2 tblsp ricotta
2 tblsp grated Parmesan
pinch of nutmeg
2 pinches cinnamon
1 egg, beaten and divided in two
3 tblsp butter
6 sage leaves, sliced thin crosswise
extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and Fresh black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Toss butternut squash with 1 tblsp EVOO and salt and pepper. Roast until fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Let cool.

2. In a food processor, combine squash, shallot, brown sugar, 1/2 egg, ricotta, parmesan, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Process until smooth.

3. On a clean, cool surface, lay out a piece of parchment paper and lay the wonton wrappers out. Also have a sheet pan lined with parchment paper for the finished ravioli. Working one at a time, brush all sides of the wrapper with egg wash. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center, and fold diagonally into a triangle, being careful to keep filling out of the edges. Press firmly on both sides to seal. Place on the sheet pan. Repeat assembly for all wrappers. Cover the sheet pan of ravioli with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. When water is at a rolling boil, add ravioli. Cover to bring the water back to boiling (the frozen ravioli will cool it down). Uncover and boil until tender and cooked through, about 4 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sage. Sautee until the butter is just brown. This will take the same amount of time as the ravioli takes to cook. When ravioli is done, drain and add to skillet with the sage-butter. Toss very gently and serve, topped with more Pamesan and fresh pepper.