The Med School Cookbook: So much time

A little lesson in community health: the patients here mostly come in complaining of GI distress, rashes, genital discomfort, or colds. Apparently, the main causes of GI distress are ascaris (worms), giardia, or (rarely) amoeba (I don't actually know that that means). The rashes are either fungal, scabies, or reactions to sun or use of laundry detergent as hand soap. The genital issues are fungal infections or STDs. And my "attending" claims that the colds are bacterial in nature.

The main social issues underpinning these complaints, as they have been explained to me so far, are 1) public sanitation related to food and water, and handwashing, 2) personal sanitation as the weather is damp and clothes are washed and changed infrequently, and 3) sexual behaviors aka men cheating on their wives.

Well, those are my oversimplified observations at the end of week one. Yesterday, I got home at 1pm, and having already exercised, and not feeling like reading, I decided upon a cooking project.

Butternut squash ravioli:

This recipe is really from the anti-med school cookbook, because it is relatively time-consuming and benefits from a pasta machine, which is a bit obscure as a household item. However, the ingredient list is short, simple, and cheap, and overall the process took no longer than 45 minutes. If you've ever attended a Chinese dumpling party, why not try an "Italian dumpling party"?

Filling

1/2 butternut squash (should make 1 cup mashed)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp butter
handful of fresh or dried thyme, sage, or rosemary, stems removed and chopped
salt and pepper
~1/2 cup grated parmesan, or to taste

Dough

3 cups flour
4 eggs
2 tbsp olive oil
dash of water as needed

Slice the butternut squash in half horizontally, and then again in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and place face up in a large baking dish. Pour in 1/2 cup of water to surround the squash. Bake at ~400 degrees, adding more water as it evaporates, until a knife or fork slices in easily. Cool in the fridge.

Combine all the ingredients for the dough, kneading until the consistency is solid and stretchy. Roll into a ball and cover in plastic wrap, in the fridge for half an hour.

Using a sharp knife, peel the squash and cut it into 1" cubes. Melt butter in a large saucepan and add the garlic. After a minute, add the squash. Saute until completely soft, adding water as needed to keep from burning. You should be able to mash the squash easily using just the back of a fork. In a large bowl, mash the squash, herbs, salt and pepper, and parmesan. Return to the fridge.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface, using one fist-sized ball of dough at a time while leaving the rest in the fridge. If you have a pasta machine, follow those directions. Otherwise, roll the dough as thin as you can get it with just a rolling pin. Using a glass or round cookie cutter, cut out rounds. Place 1 tsp of squash filling into a round of dough, place another round on top, and knead the edges together to seal. You may need to wet your fingertips with water to get the edges of dough to seal. Store on a floured surface under a lid to keep ravioli from drying out.

Cooking time will depend on how thin your dough is. My ravioli were as thick as periogies and took at least 20 minutes to cook through, although the recipe suggested 12-15 minutes. I served mine with a simple tomato sauce and some freshly grated queso duro.