What to do with all this “extra” time on my hands…
I was inspired in Paris to cook and on the plane ride home, watched 5 movies- one of them Julia & Julie.
So with a little help from my friend Martha (Stewart) I was inspired to start with the cozy, warmth food of the holidays what better way to start then with butternut squash? yum!

freshly baked

ready to enjoy

Butternut squash, Sage and Ricotta Cannelloni
(serves 4 prep time 35 min, Total time 1.25 hrs)

Ingredients:
3 tblspns olive oil + more for baking dish and sheet
coarse salt + pepper
8 wide lasagna noodles
(to achieve the right shape make sure to buy wide lasagna noodles instead of regular)
1/2 butternut squash (about 1lb) peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 shallots, chopped
1/4 cup + 2 tblspns milk
1 tspn finely chopped fresh sage leaves + 8-10 whole leaves
1/8 tspn ground nutmeg
2 cups ricotta (15 oz)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 2-quart or 8″ square baking dish.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente (4-5 min). Using tongs, transfer pasta to a lightly oiled rimmed baking sheet. Add squash to boiling water and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
Drain squash and transfer to a bowl.

2 In a small skillet, heat 1 tblspn oil over med. Add shallots, season with salt and pepper, cook until soft about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl with squash and add 2 tblspns milk, chopped sage and nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. Mash with a fork until a rough purée forms.

3 Spread 1/4 cup squash mixture crosswise down the middle of each noodle; roll up noodle and place, seam side down, in baking dish. In a bowl, combine ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan and 1/4 cup milk and season with salt and pepper. Spread ricotta mixture over cannelloni and top with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake until warmed through, about 25 minutes. Broil until top is browned, 2-3 minutes.

4 Meanwhile in a small skillet, heat 2 tblspns oil over medium-high. Fry whole sage leaves until crispy, 15-20 seconds. Drain on paper towel. Serve cannelloni topped with fried sage.

Voila! Delicious.