Beet Ravioli With Winter Pesto Sauce

Beet Ravioli with Winter Pesto Sauce. (GoogleDrive)

Beet Ravioli With Winter Pesto Sauce

Embrace the season’s hearty flavors by serving up beautiful plates of beet ravioli with a pesto sauce made from winter greens. Roasting the beets mellows their earthiness and brings out their sweetness. Serve as a main dish or a side.

Serves 4 to 6

Beet filling:

• 2 large beets, washed and peeled
• 3 1/2 ounces Parmesan, grated
• 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs

Fresh pasta dough:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons semolina flour, plus extra for dusting
• Large pinch of salt
• 4 medium organic eggs, lightly beaten

Winter pesto sauce:

• 2 handfuls of winter green leaves (stalks removed), such as kale, cavolo nero (black kale), or spinach
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 3/4 ounces Parmesan, grated
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• A handful of pistachio nuts or pine nuts
• 3 tablespoons mascarpone or crème fraîche
• Salt, to taste

To finish:

• Pinch of salt
• Olive oil
• A few drops of truffle oil (optional)

Put the beets in a food processor with the Parmesan and panko breadcrumbs and process to a grainy paste. Remove from the food processor and set aside.

Make the pasta dough. Mix together the flours and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, add the eggs to the well, and, using your hands, gradually mix the egg with the flour into a dough. Knead the dough on a work surface for 3 to 4 minutes until smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the pesto sauce. Put the greens in a bowl, sprinkle with the lemon juice, and massage with your hands for 2 minutes until the leaves have softened. Transfer to a food processor, add the remaining pesto ingredients, and process until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan and set aside.

To make the ravioli, dust some clean dish towels and a work surface generously with semolina flour. Divide the pasta dough into quarters and keep those you aren’t working with covered with plastic wrap. Take one quarter and roll it out on the prepared work surface into an even, thin sheet about 2 mm thick. Working quickly, cut the sheet into rounds using a 2 3/4-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter. Add 1 teaspoon of the filling to the center of each round, then brush the edges with water. Fold one side over the filling to make a half-moon, and press the edges together lightly to seal. Once sealed, immediately transfer the ravioli to a floured dish towel. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

Bring a large saucepan filled with water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over low heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil to the boiling water and cook the ravioli, in batches, for 2 minutes. Remove the cooked ravioli with a slotted spoon and transfer to the skillet to keep warm until all the ravioli are cooked.

While the ravioli are cooking, heat the pesto sauce over low heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Serve the ravioli with the pesto sauce and a few drops of truffle oil, if using.

Tip: Using wonton wrappers instead of making the pasta is a handy shortcut if you’re running out of time.

Reprinted with permission from “Feasts of Veg: Plant-Based Food for Gatherings” by Nina Olsson. Published by Kyle Books.