PUMPKIN CANNELLONI WITH CARAMELIZED PUMPKIN SPICED ONIONS AND CONCORD GRAPE SAUCE


Serves 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 fresh sage leaves, chopped fine
½ cup hazelnuts, toasted
1 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups pumpkin, prebaked, peeled and  pureed
½ cup parmesan cheese
12  premade  fresh pasta sheets
Melted butter
Pumpkin Spiced Caramelized  Onions (Recipe Follows)
Concord Grape Sauce (Recipe Follows)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Bake the concord grapes according to the recipe below.

Use 1 tablespoon of butter and grease a casserole dish and set aside. In a medium size sauté pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil and cook onion until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat.
In a medium-size bowl, combine the onions and garlic with the  sage, hazelnuts, nutmeg, cinnamon , pumpkin and parmesan and mix together well until all ingredients are  fully incorporated and smooth. Take each pasta sheet and spoon on the filling down the middle of the sheet in a tube shape.  Roll up the sheet and place it seem side down in the casserole dish.  Repeat with remaining pasta sheets until all are snuggly together in the baking dish.  Brush with melted butter and sprinkle a little cheese on the top.  Bake for about 20 minutes.  In the meantime prepare the caramelized onion and finish the concord grape sauce according to the recipes.  Once the cannelloni has baked for 20 minutes take it out of the oven and lay the caramelized onions over the top.  Spoon the concord grapes sauce over the tops of each of the cannelloni and place in the oven to bake for 10-12 more minutes or until the pasta sheets begin to brown.  Serve.

Caramelized Pumpkin Spiced Onions
Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh sage, leaves chopped
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Directions

In a large skillet over medium  to low heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Cook onions sage and spiced slowly until onions are soft and caramelized, about 20 minutes.

Concord Grape Sauce
Makes 1 cup


Ingredients

2 cups concord grapes, destemmed but left whole
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped red shallot
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup honey

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 400 ° F. In a bowl toss together the grapes, garlic, shallot, and thyme leaves and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss with the olive oil and honey until all the grapes are well coated. Place the mixture in a glass baking dish and place in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the grapes just begin to caramelize. Push the baked mixture through a mesh strainer using the back of a spoon to push through everything you can. The mixture should be thick and jammy.