Beet ravioli with poppy seed butter

About Beet--Roast them until tender. Be careful, they "bleed"!

It's Chinese new year! Traditionally we use pork, shrimp, garlic chives, eggs, cabbages to make dumplings. The more dumplings you eat, the luckier you will be in the next year! Haha, just kidding~

But this year, I want to make something different--beet ravioli, a cousin of chinese dumplings. This is what it supposed to look like

My egg pasta turned out to be a little thick, and I used whole wheat white flour, so they are not transparant enough.

But they are still gorgeous and tasty!



beet ravioli with poppy seed butter Bon Appétit May 2005

Few stuffed pastas are as pretty as these traditional ravioli from Veneto. The rich, sweet filling of roasted beets is complemented by the unique flavor of tiny black poppy seeds. If you don't have time to make fresh pasta, use purchased wonton wrappers.
Makes 8 first-course servings.

• 2 large red or golden beets (about 14 ounces)1/2 cup fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs
• 1 1/4 pounds Fresh Egg Pasta
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter1 tablespoon poppy seedsFreshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap beets individually in foil; place on baking sheet. Roast until tender when pierced with knife, about 1 hour. Open foil carefully (steam will escape). Cool. Peel beets; finely grate into medium bowl. Add ricotta cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in breadcrumbs.
2. Roll Fresh Egg Pasta dough into sheets according to recipe.Place 1 dough sheet on work surface. Using 3-inch round biscuit cutter, cut sheet into 7 rounds. Transfer rounds to lightly floured baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining dough for total of 56 rounds.
3. Sprinkle 2 smooth kitchen towels with flour.Place 8 pasta rounds on work surface, keeping remaining dough covered with plastic. Place small bowl of water next to work surface. Spoon 1 teaspoon beet filling onto half of each round. Dip fingertip into water and dampen edge of 1 round. Fold dough over filling, pushing out as much air as possible and pressing edges firmly to seal. Transfer to prepared towels. Repeat with remaining rounds. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and place in freezer until frozen solid, about 6 hours. Transfer ravioli to resealable plastic bags.)
4. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat and stir in poppy seeds; keep warm.Working in batches, cook ravioli in large pot of boiling salted water until cooked through, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to skillet with melted butter; toss to coat. Divide ravioli among 8 plates; sprinkle with Parmesan.