The other night it actually got cold. The temp dipped down into the 40’s before 10pm and put me in a cozy kind of mood. See, here in North Carolina fall teases us. October can offer an 80 degree day while the next is in the 50’s. It’s a wacky area of the country, climate wise that is, so when we actually get some real autumn weather I head for the stove, get a pot out and make soup.

I looked in my produce bowl and saw I had one sweet potato and one small winter squash and wondered if this would make enough for two. I scrounged around the produce drawer in the fridge and  spotted a little clementine. “Orange soup it is!” I thought, and as it turned out, it was the perfect compliment to a bottle of Spanish Tempranillo wine we had just purchased from our friend Craig at Wine Authorities.

Warming, luscious and topped with a bit of buttered & candied hazelnuts and crispy sage leaves, it completely said ‘Fall’ to me.

It’s a beta carotene Party!

Saute all the veggies in a bit of olive oil until slightly browned.

Add veggie broth.

Fall spices I love…

After you add the spics to the pot add some water so that all the veggies are covered. Simmer on low heat until softened, about 15 minutes.

While the soup is simmering I melted a few dabs of butter and heated some hazelnuts in a sauce pan.

Then I added a bit of brown sugar to coat the nuts.

I added a touch of balsamic vinegar as well.

I also crisp fried a few sprigs of sage from the garden. I have to say, one thing I LOVE is crispy sage leaves.

Back at the soup pot, I added the juice of one clementine.

Then I pureed the soup until smooth. I also LOVE my stick mixer.

I then added a bit of half and half. You could use soy creamer as well. I seasoned with salt and pepper to taste and plated it up with the wine.

Although the days are getting shorter and winter is close to follow; soups like this make an evening’s dinner cozy and warm.

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So, David and I decided to attempt to make homemade pasta once again and I am soooo thankful that we mustered up the courage to do so…It came out great!

We decided on ravioli so I got busy and made two different fillings. One was a Spinach & Tofu-cotta (like ricotta) and the other was a sweet and savory Sweet Potato con Queso Fresco (a wonderful salty Mexican cheese that doesn’t melt too much, which is perfect for ravioli).

Below you will find another photo recipe of our 2 hour expedition into what happens when you combine flour, water and a bit of oil.

Making the dough

Rolling the dough

Rolling the dough….some more

And some more.

Laying out the dough.

Placing balls of the spinach filling on the dough.

Place balls of the sweet potato filling on another sheet of the dough. Make sure that you run a finger that has been dipped in water between all the filling balls and along all the edges. This will act as a sealant.

Fold the dough over the fillings

Seal all the edges by pressing down the dough.

…and in between each filling.

Now start cutting into ravioli. You can use a press like we did or simply a knife for a more rustic look.

The finished product, some for that nights dinner and some for the freezer. To freeze them just lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment and place them in the freezer for at least and hour, then bag them into freezer bags.

Make the sauce…it was a roasted butternut squash.

Boil the ravioli for 3 minutes.

We enjoyed the ravioli with a nice chianti! The meal was loaded with veggies and had such deep layers of flavor all wrapped up in wonderful little packets made simply from flour, water, oil and love.

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