beet raviolis with garlic, tomatoes, and spinach

I love beets. I've said it before. I'll surely repeat it in the future. They're awesome, you see, with their earthy flavor, affinity for goat cheese, and brilliant color that makes your cutting board look like you've murdered something on it.



Ravioli are a great use for these, because the purple color shows through the dough and that's rather fun. Also, well, they're delicious.

The dough is simple, and the filling is just grilled onions and garlic, beets, and spices. The ravioli, once made (but not cooked), freeze well. I froze them for 3 days and then we ate them with sauteed garlic, tomatoes, and spinach in olive oil.



Beet Raviolis



pasta
adapted from http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/01/artichoke-gaga/
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

Make the filling first-- see below.

In a food processor, mix all of the ingredients with the blade attachment. It should stick all together into a soft, slightly sticky ball.

Get a cutting board and sprinkle it generously with flour. Set all this aside.

filling
2 beets
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 Tb butter
6 oz apple juice
salt and pepper
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 C goat cheese (or more)

Slice onion thinly and brown it in the butter; after it's cooked for about fifteen minutes, add the garlic. Garlic takes much less time to brown than onions (think one or two minutes) and when it's burnt it's terrible, so be wary.

Meanwhile, grate the beets (I used a food processor, which is much much easier). Once the onion is brown, add the beets and apple juice to the pan and reduce the apple juice down to a syrup. This should take fifteen or twenty minutes. Remove the beets and onion mixture to a bowl to cool.

When cool, add the goat cheese and stir.

construction



On a floured cutting board, roll out a chunk of dough thinly. (Yes, we (actually, that's my awesome roommate) rolled them out with an empty bottle).



Slice into quarters and place a small spoonful of beets/goat cheese on the dough.



Fold the dough over the beets and seal the edges. Try not to trap any big air bubbles in the ravioli.

To cook immediately:
Bring a pot (water with a dash each of oil and salt) to boil while you roll out the pasta. Drop the ravioli into the water and let cook for 3-5 minutes. They ought to float when done, but no promises. Slip one out of the water and slice a little pasta off the edge to taste for doneness.

To store:
Place the ravioli on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Do not allow the ravioli to touch each other. When you have a filled cookie sheet, move it the freezer for a half and hour (longer is better). When the ravioli are frozen, move them to a plastic bag and return to the freezer.