Beetroot ravioli with poppy seed butter

Beetroot ravioli with poppy seed butter

I first saw this dish in a New Zealand food magazine, but I didn’t realise until recently that it’s actually a traditional dish (Casunziei all’ampezzana) from the mountainous region of Italy’s north-eastern Dolomites. Casunziei are traditionally half-moon shaped and are usually filled with vegetables - either beetroot, turnips, spinach, wild chives or radicchio. The traditional filling is just vegetables, no cheese, but I couldn’t help myself and added both ricotta and parmesan. The poppy seed butter is traditional though, and pairs beautifully with the beetroot.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the pasta
250g 00 or pasta flour
3 eggs

For the filling
2 medium sized beetroot
3/4 cup fresh ricotta
1/4 cup parmesan, finely grated
1 tbsp dried breadcrumbs

For the sauce
80g butter
2 tbsp poppy seeds

Salt and pepper

Method

1. Place the beetroot on a baking tray and roast them whole in the oven at 200°C until tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Leave to cool.

2. To make the pasta, tip the flour onto a clean work surface. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs. Beat the eggs lightly with a fork, then slowly incorporate the flour until a rough dough is formed.

3. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, or until it is soft and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball and cover with an overturned bowl for at least 30 minutes.

4. While the dough is resting, prepare the filling. Peel the cooked beetroot and chop roughly. Place in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the ricotta, parmesan, and breadcrumbs and pulse a few times until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Cut off one quarter of the pasta dough and cover the remaining dough to prevent it drying out. Roll the piece of dough through your pasta machine until you get to one of the thinnest settings. You can also do this with a rolling pin.

6. Place a tablespoon of the beetroot filling along one side of the dough, leaving a 1 finger gap from the edge and a 2-3 finger gap between each blob of filling. Fold the dough over the filling and press to get rid of any air bubbles, firmly encasing the filling. Use a pastry cutter or knife to cut out the ravioli.

7. Continue with the remaining dough and filling. You should get at least 24 large ravioli. Cook the ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water for about 3 minutes.

8. At the same time, melt the butter in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the poppy seeds and allow the butter to froth. Drain the ravioli and immediately toss in the pan with the butter and poppy seeds. Serve topped with some finely grated parmesan.