How do I love thee? Let me count the ravioli. Seriously, there’s no better way to say “I love you” than with a plate of handmade pasta lovingly crafted and offered as a token of your affection. After all, you put a little bit of yourself into every bite by kneading, rolling and shaping the pasta even before it is cooked. The act in itself is a delicious labor of love. Then why not take it to the next level with colored pasta and make a real statement? Those were my thoughts last year when I created these Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling for Valentine’s Day. Yes, I make other colored pasta, like these green tagliatelle colored with spinach that I did here. But these Valentine’s ravioli were begging to be red—really, really red—the color of love, of passion, of beets. In fact, for these ravioli the pasta dough is stained deep magenta-red with beets before it lovingly envelopes a creamy ricotta and radicchio filling to form pretty half-moon shaped ravioli. They look stunning on the plate, dressed in a rosy sauce of beet-tinted melted butter and scattered with toasted pine nuts and delicate wisps of shaved Parmigiano. A romantic meal never looked or tasted so good!
It took a little love on my part to get this beet pasta recipe the way I wanted it. You see, beets stain but they also bleed. That means when red pasta cooks, the color can leach into the boiling water and fade —taking the pasta from bright magenta to drab pink. But that wasn’t good enough for me and I was determined to get an intense red pasta that held up to cooking. And I did…here’s how. I use more beets than most but it works because of a few tricks I’ll share with you. First, I roast the beets so they don’t get watery like they can if you boil them. Then I puree the beets using a fine blade in my food mill, but you can also process in a food processor. Next—and most importantly—I squeeze all the liquid out of the beet puree (saving it for the sauce) in a cotton napkin I don’t mind staining until it’s dry like play dough. This creates a concentrated pigmentation agent to add to the egg before incorporating flour, so less flour is needed and the pasta dough is darker. After kneading the dough until smooth and soft, it is dark magenta and almost purplish in color. But don’t worry because some of the color will fade during boiling and the cooked ravioli will be a lovely shade of red.
You should know that while red beets color pasta dough beautifully, they can stain your hands and counter tops if you’re not careful. To avoid this, I work on washable cutting boards and wear disposable latex gloves when making the pasta dough. Once the dough is made, roll it thin—either with a rolling pin or using a pasta machine. Cut the pasta sheet into circles, dab each with a spoonful of ricotta and radicchio filling, then fold and seal the edges well to form half moon shaped ravioli. This filling comes together quickly with a mixture of ricotta cheese, egg, Parmigiano and caramelized radicchio. Radicchio is red chicory with a bittersweet peppery flavor that adds spice to the mild ricotta and compliments the beet infused pasta. I like to use Treviso radicchio, but if you can’t find it, the Chioggia variety works well too.
Once the ravioli are made the work is done leaving plenty of time to get dressed and light the candles on the table. Then, just a few minutes before serving, the pasta cooks while a quick yet sumptuous sauce is made from reserved beet juice and butter to toss the ravioli in and coat them with even more color and flavor. Arranged on plates with a smattering of toasted pine nuts and Parmigiano shavings over top, they make quite an entrance and are sure to set the mood for your romantic meal. Happy Valentine’s Day…or should I say…beet mine?
BEET PASTA RAVIOLI WITH RICOTTA & RADICCHIO FILLING
Ravioli di Barbabietola con Ricotta e Radicchio
The pasta for these half-moon shaped ravioli is tinted deep magenta red by pureed beets then filled with creamy ricotta and caramelized radicchio. They look stunning arranged on a plate dressed in rosy beet-infused melted butter and scattered with toasted pine nuts and Parmigiano shavings. © 2016 Deborah Dal Fovo. All rights reserved.
- Prep Time: 2h
- Cook Time: 10m
- Yield: 24 ravioli
- Category: First Courses - Primi Piatti, Pasta, Recipes
Ingredients
Beet Pasta Dough:
- 6 ounces /160g red beets, trimmed
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup/120g all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
- 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
- Kosher or fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Ravioli Filling:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon/14g unsalted butter
- ½ small shallot, finely minced (2 tablespoons)
- 2 ½ ounces/70g radicchio (preferably Treviso variety), cut into thin strips and rinsed
- 4 ounces/113g ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons/6g freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano
- Kosher or sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup reserved beet juice (see instructions)
- 8 tablespoons/113g unsalted butter, cut into dice
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
- 2 tablespoons Shaved Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C degrees.
- NOTE: When working with red beets, wear disposable latex gloves and use cutting boards and glass bowls to avoid staining skin and work surfaces.
- Wash the beets well under cold water then place in center of a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the foil over the beets and crimp ends together to form a leak-proof packet then set on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until beets are tender when pierced with the point of a knife then remove from oven and cool. Peel the beets, cut into pieces and puree through a food mill or in a food processor until smooth. Place the beet pulp in the center of a clean, cotton napkin (that you don’t mind staining) and squeeze out all excess liquid into a bowl (about ¼ cup) until the pulp is dry like play dough. Set beet juice aside for later use.
- To make pasta dough, mound the flour on a cutting board (or in bowl) and form a well in the center. Place the egg yolk, beet pulp and 1/4 teaspoon salt in the well and beat with a fork, gradually dragging in the flour, a little at a time, until a crumbly mass forms. Gather the dough into a ball with your hands and knead on a floured board for 6 to 8 minutes until soft and smooth, adding more flour as needed if sticky. Form dough into a ball then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and set aside to rest.
- For the filling, place olive oil, butter, and shallots with 1 tablespoon water in a skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle lightly with salt and cook until shallots are soft and moisture has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the radicchio, season with salt and pepper and cook until wilted and lightly caramelized, stirring, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
- Mix the ricotta, egg yolk and grated cheese together in a bowl until smooth then add the radicchio and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Divide the pasta dough into quarters and work with one piece at a time (keeping the rest wrapped in plastic until needed). Using a pasta machine or rolling pin on floured surface, roll the dough into a thin sheet about 1mm thick (you should see your hand in transparency through the pasta). If using a pasta machine, pass the dough repeatedly through the rollers increasing the setting each time to reduce roller thickness and thin dough.
- Lay the pasta sheet on a lightly floured board and cut six 3-inch circles using a floured pasta cutter or wine glass. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle then fold one side over the filling to form a half-moon shape. Press the dough around the filling with your fingers to expel air pockets and seal edges. If the dough doesn't stick together, brush it very lightly with water before sealing. If desired, use a zig-zagged pasta cutter to make a decorative edge. Arrange the ravioli in a single layer, without touching, on a floured parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat process with remaining dough and filling. (Ravioli can be refrigerated, uncovered, for a few hours.)
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat then add a generous handful of kosher or sea salt. When the water returns to a boil, add the ravioli and stir gently to prevent sticking. Cook the ravioli until ‘al dente’, tender yet firm to bite, 2 to 3 minutes.
- While the ravioli cook, boil the reserved beet juice in a large skillet over medium-high heat until thick. Add the butter and melt, stirring to create a smooth sauce. Scoop the ravioli from water using a slotted spoon and place in the sauce. Toss ravioli in the sauce over heat for less than a minute until well coated, adding a little pasta cooking water if needed.
- Arrange six ravioli on each plate and drizzle with sauce. Scatter toasted pine nuts over top and sprinkle with cheese shavings. Serve immediately.
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