Beetroot Ravioli with Brown Butter and Poppy Seeds
Ravioli truly are like little gifts – a delicious filling encased in silky pasta. Count us in. This recipe is actually quite light for a pasta dish, with an earthy beetroot and ricotta filling. It is however, made somewhat more decadent with the addition of a heavenly brown butter sauce. The poppy seeds add a pleasant crunch.

Serves: 4-6
Difficulty: a little effort
Prep time:  1 hour
Cooking time: 1 hour

Pasta dough
500 g flour
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
4 whole eggs
3 egg yolks

Beetroot filling
400 g raw beetroot (about 3 medium beetroot)
125 g ricotta (half a tub)
salt and pepper

Brown butter
¾ C (180 g) butter
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper

Pasta dough
Tip the flour and salt out onto a clean work surface, make a well in the centre and add the eggs, egg yolks and olive oil. Slowly, using a fork, work the flour into the eggs to make a sticky dough. Dust your hands with flour and begin to knead the dough. You may think your dough is too dry or wet, but don’t doctor it until you’ve begun to knead, it will come together after a little bit of elbow grease. Keep kneading until the dough is completely smooth, then wrap in cling film and leave to rest out of the fridge for at least half an hour.

Beetroot filling
Preheat the oven to 180 ºC.

Wash the beetroot and place on a roasting tray. Cover the tray with foil and roast in the oven for about an hour, or until soft. When the beetroot are done, peel the skin off with a small sharp knife. Transfer the beetroot to a food processor and purée until smooth and then allow to cool slightly. Remove from the blender and combine with the ricotta. Season to taste. Alternatively, salt bake the beetroot using this recipe.

While the beetroot is roasting, make the pasta.

Once the pasta has rested, set up the pasta machine. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the remaining portions covered. Feed one piece through the machine, on the largest setting, and fold in half when it comes out the other end. Work your way down to the thinner settings, folding the pasta in half before each roll, to laminate and reinforce it. When the pasta has gone through the smallest setting, lay it flat on the work surface and cut out circles using an 8cm cutter and place on a floured tray. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

To make the ravioli
Place about a teaspoon of the beetroot filling on to the centre of a pasta disk. Dip your finger in water and moisten the edge of the disk. Fold in half to make a half moon shape. Press along the edge to seal. Repeat with the remaining filling and pasta disks.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil and cook the ravioli for about 2 minutes, until al dente. Drain in a colander.

Brown Butter
Melt the butter in a frying pan and increase the heat, whisking as it melts. The butter will foam up, then subside and begin to caramelise and you’ll be able to smell a nutty aroma. Cook for a few more minutes to allow it to turn a deep nut brown, remove from the heat and add the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Watch out for spitting when you add the lemon juice.

To serve
Place ravioli in a bowl, drizzle with the brown butter and top with the poppy seeds, grated Parmesan and freshly cracked black pepper.

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