Our beet ravioli can beat your ravioli any day!

7.7.10

After eating this amazing dish at Nicole and James' Brooklyn apartment this past winter (see 'Two Weeks Off!' entry in January 2010), I decided that my amazing gastronomic experience had to be revisited. How would I pull this feat off? Well, I roped in my two very good friends Ashley and Ben. Except where Nicole and James used wanton rappers, me and my friends decided to make the whole ravioli from scratch. It was a landmark moment for all three of us; none of us had ever made our own pasta dough.

While Ben rolled the dough into very thing sheets, I used a water glass to cut small little circles in the dough. Ashley grabbed one circle and placed a little dollop of filling into the center. She took a second circle and painted a little egg wash around the edge. After this she put the second circle on top of the first and used a fork to seal the ravioli around the edges.

At this point we were all getting slightly hungry and were ready to try our creation. The dough was cooked just right (el dente) and the creamy filling was a brilliant shade of magenta. We poured a little olive oil on top and sprinkled with Ben's faux pepper called 'grains of paradise'.

The Filling

You must put a very precise amount of filling into each pillow otherwise you might end up with a wounded ravioli.

Filling the Raviolis

Ta Da!

You can tell that the ravioli is almost done because it's starting to float.

In case your interested in trying this recipe for yourself, here is the recipe from Nicole. I would recommend not using as much butter as suggested in the recipe (see *). We used olive oil instead to drizzle over the top of the cooked ravioli. We didn't use Parmesan cheese but a little bit sprinkled over the top would have been a delicious addition.

Ingredients

For the filling:

2 large beets, roasted and peeled

Bread crumbs, if necessary

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup thick whole milk ricotta, such as Calabro brand

*5 ounces (1 1/4 sticks) melted butter

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 oz Parmigiano Reggiano

2 teaspoons poppy seeds

For the pasta:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

5 egg yolks and 1 whole egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 tablespoon olive oil

pinch of Kosher salt.

Procedure

1. Prepare the filling up to one day in advance: process beets pulse until finely chopped but not pureed. If the beets are seeping water, add a small amount of bread crumbs to soak up the liquid. Stir in eggs, ricotta, and 1/4 cup of the melted butter. Season with salt and pepper.

2. In a wide shallow bowl, or directly on a flat work surface, create a well in the middle of the flour. Add the other ingredients into the well. Using your fingers, blend the wet ingredients and incorporate the flour by gradually working in the sides of the well.

3. When the dough comes together to form a solid mass, knead it for a few minutes on a well-floured surface. When it is smooth and firm, wrap it in plastic and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

4. Dust a pasta roller and countertop with flour. Begin rolling out the dough, gradually setting the roller thinner and thinner until the dough very thin and uniform.

5. Fill and seal the pasta with egg wash. Cut the pasta out into desired shapes. Cook in boiling water for 4-5 minutes. Gently transfer cooked pasta onto a serving dish. Drizzle melted butter, grated cheese, and poppy seeds over the pasta and serve immediately.