Beetroot Ravioli with Ricotta Cheese Filling & Walnut Butter Sauce

Magenta is my color and beetroot is my favorite vegetable. Its earthy sweet taste and that ruby gem color is all I ask for. Why not combine this magnificent color and taste with one of my favorite dishes. A pink ravioli flavoured with some honey, orange, ricotta cheese, beets and a nutty butter with walnuts on top.

Ingredients

ravioli dough

200 g flour

50 g semolina
80 g beetroot
1 tbs olive oil
2 eggs
5 g salt
filling

200 g beetroot 

200 g ricotta cheese

30 g parmesan

1/4 lemon zest

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tbs chopped parsley

1 teaspoon honey
1 tbs toasted breadcrumbs

salt&blackpepper

sauce

30 g butter

20-30 g walnut

1 clove garlic

1 sprig of fresh thyme

2 tbs orange zest

2 tbs orange juice

salt& pepper

Wash beetroots with a brush. Place them in tin foil and bake them at 180C until soft for about 45-55 minutes.

For the dough squeeze the juice of a fresh beetroot and make a puree. Mound the flour and semolina on a clean work surface and create a well in the center. Place the puree, eggs and oil in the center. Using a fork, whisk together and slowly start dragging the flour into the mixture. Add this to the dry ingredients. Knead until all are well combined and the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Add more juice or flour to adjust the consistency of the dough. Put in a cling film and rest in the fridge for about 30-45 minutes.

Take the beetroots out the oven and let them cool. Peel and grate the beetroots adding ricotta and honey. Add toasted breadcrumbs, nutmeg, lemon zest & juice,salt, pepper and grated parmesan.

Set up a pasta machine and turn it to the largest opening. Cut off pieces of dough about the size of an egg. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll the dough into sheets about 3-4mm thick.

Lay one pasta sheet flat on a lightly floured work surface and determine approximately where the halfway point is lengthwise. Use a pastry brush to lightly wet one half of the dough with water. Spoon mounds of the filling, about 2 teaspoons each, onto half of the wet side of the dough, leaving about a 1-1,5 cm  between the mounds. Fold the dry half of the sheet over lengthwise to cover the filling. 

Press the pasta sheets together to seal the edges around the filling, and press out any excess air. Use a pastry cutter or knife to cut individual ravioli. As you cut out the ravioli, place them on a plate or baking sheet sprinkled with flour to keep them from sticking. Repeat with the remaining pasta and filling.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the ravioli all at once and stir a few times to submerge and separate them. Cook, uncovered, at a gentle boil until the pasta is just tender to the bite, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the ravioli thoroughly.

For the sauce , add butter in a pan, cook until slightly brown,add grated walnuts,orange zest and juice. Serve the raviolis with the sauce and sprinkle fresh thyme on top.