Heart Beet Ravioli
Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s been cold and snowy in Maine for the last few weeks, much like the rest of the country. Personally, I love snow once it’s been shoveled and I can go play, which is exactly what Anthony and I have been doing lately. The Kennebunk Land Trust has miles and miles of trails to explore and they’re only a quick drive from our home in Biddeford.
We’ve been doing more than just hike lately too. Now that we’ve been married for a couple yeras now and together for almost a decade, we’re ready to start a family. For the unintiated, that means a lot of money, time, and patience. We’re interviewing surrogacy agencies, ivf clinics, and lots and lots of attorneys. Who knew it was so much work to make a baby.
In case you forgot, tomorrow is also Valentine’s Day. Anthony and I just happened to buy a new mattress this winter and it is due to arrive today. What timing!
Anthony loathes Valentine’s Day and I am lukewarm on it as well. I love festivity though so I usually send valentine’s cards to family and make something special for dinner. Nothing crazy, just you know, some heart shaped ravioli.
I admit this is not the most photogenic food I’ve ever made but the flavor is there and the shape is unmistakable. Even better, they are relatively simple to make and come together in about an hour so you don’t have to slave over a stove all day. I like to use a cookie cutter to get even, consistent shapes but you do you. If you want, you can cut them freeform with a knife or pastry cutter. I’ve even seen some make rose-shaped ravioli. GO WILD, PEOPLE.
The ravioli is stuffed with a simple herbed ricotta filling with parsley, mint, fennel, and a touch of goat cheese to give the creaminess some tang.
This recipe makes about 3 dozen ravioli so either prepare accordingly, invite some friends over, or freeze them for another day.
Heart Beet Ravioli with Herby Ricotta Filling
Ingredients
For the dough
8 oz beets, scrubbed and trimmed
2 teaspoons olive oil
coarse salt
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
2½ cups flour, plus more for dusting
For the Filling
1 cup parsley (packed)
¼ cup chives
2 garlic cloves
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 oz goat cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375. Toss the beets with olive oil and salt. Wrap tightly in foil and roast until tender, about 45 minutes. When the beets are cool enough to handle, rub the skins off with a paper towel and puree in a food processor.
Add the eggs and egg yolk to the beet mixture and process until evenly combined. Add the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and process until the dough comes together, about 20 seconds.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, 5 - 10 minutes. This part takes some muscle but don’t give up! Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or parchment and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.
While the dough is resting, make the filling. In the food processor, combine the parsley, garlic, and chives. Process until everything is finely minced. Add the goat cheese and ricotta and mix until evenly mixed. Transfer to a piping bag or ziplock bag and chill.
When you’re ready, remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Working with one piece of dough at a time, flatten the dough until it is slightly fatter than your pasta machine’s widest setting. Dust dough lightly with flour and feed through the machine. Continue doing this until you reach a thickness just less than ⅛ inch - this is 4 on my KitchenAid attachment.
Move the pasta sheet to a work surface and spread the filling over the pasta sheet in an even layer about ¼ - ½ inch thick. Place another sheet of pasta on top of the filling and gently press to smooth it all out. Using a cookie cutter, cut the ravioli out in whatever shape you want. Transfer the ravioli to a plate and repeat the process for the remaining dough.
To serve, bring a big pot of salted water to a boil and cook the ravioli until they float. Transfer to a skillet with melted butter and season with salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.
