12ouncesfresh whole milk ricotta, I use Bellwether Farms basket ricotta
5-6ouncesgoat cheese
1tablespoonfresh thyme leaves
¼teaspooneach, salt & pepper
Ravioli Toppings
2-3small beets, peeled
3-4cupsvegetable oil, such as sunflower or safflower, for frying
½cupunsalted butter
About 20 fresh sage leaves
2tablespoonspine nuts, toasted
Fresh parmesan, for shaving
INSTRUCTIONS
Chickpea Beet Pasta Ravioli
Preheat oven 425° F. Wrap beets in foil pouches and place them on a baking sheet. Roast for 40-55 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork. Remove the beets from the oven and foil and let cool.
Whisk the chickpea flour, tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, xanthan gum, and ½ teaspoon of salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Set aside.
Pulse 2 of the eggs, olive oil, and roasted beets in a a food processor or blender until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
Add the puréed beets to the bowl of the stand mixer and mix on low speed until it begins to bind together. Increase the speed slowly to medium-high to knead until it forms a dough. If you pinch the dough and the mixture feels too dry, add ½ teaspoon of water at a time while kneading. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, but not very sticky. If you find that it’s too sticky, add another teaspoon of tapioca starch until it reaches the texture of firm play dough.
Roll the dough into a ball and lightly flatten into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic and let rest for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare your filling and toppings (see below).
Bring 4-quarts of water to boil in a large pot with a teaspoon of salt.
After letting the dough rest, cut dough into 6 equal pieces.*
Use your hands to press one piece at a time on a chickpea-floured surface until it is about ¼-inch thick, reserving the other pieces in plastic wrap or under a towel.
With a pasta roller or rolling pin, roll out each piece into a thin sheet, lightly dusting both sides with chickpea flour as you go. If using the KitchenAid pasta roller attachment, send the dough through setting 1, fold it in half, then send it again. Repeat until it feeds through smooth, then reduce the thickness one stop at a time, dusting the pasta sheet lightly with chestnut flour, until you get to a 2.
Use a knife or the smooth edge of a pastry wheel to trim the edges of the pasta sheet so they are smooth and the sheet is an even width all the way down, 3-4 inches. Dust both sides lightly with chickpea flour and set aside, while you repeat with the remaining dough. Roll the trimmed edges up with the next piece of dough.
Cut the pasta sheet in half cross-wise so you have two wide sheets that are the same length.
Whisk the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of water.
Lay two sheets of the same length down on your floured surface. Spoon 2 teaspoons of filling at a time onto one sheet, leaving 1-2 inches between each ball of filling. Lightly brush the edges of this pasta sheet and between each filling mound with egg wash.
Lay the second sheet of pasta over the top and gently press down to cover the filling. Press out all of the air and gently press the edges and around each mound to secure the sheets together. Use a ravioli stamp, a pastry wheel, or a knife to cut the strip into ravioli squares and press edges with a fork to crimp. Repeat with the remaining pasta sheets.
Drop the ravioli into the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Gently scoop out the ravioli with a slotted spoon and place on a baking sheet while you prepare the brown butter.
Ravioli Filling
In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta, goat cheese, fresh thyme, salt & pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste. Use as filling for ravioli, as described above.
Ravioli Toppings
Before cooking the ravioli: In a medium to large sauce pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until it begins to sizzle when a beet slice hits the oil. Working in 4-5 batches, add the thinly sliced beets, using tongs to keep them separated. Fry for 2-3 minutes (or more depending on the thickness of your beets) until the edges curl and they look crispy all the way to the center. Transfer to a paper-towel lined baking sheet to crispy up as they cool. Repeat.
Once the ravioli has been cooked and drained, melt the butter in a large skillet (or two) over medium-low heat until it sizzles. Add the sage leaves and fry for 1-2 minutes until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel to crisp up.
Working in batches, fry each ravioli in the butter for 1 minute on each side and transfer to 4-6 serving plates. When all the ravioli is finished frying, continue cooking the butter, as necessary, until it turns lightly brown and smells nutty. Divide browned butter over the ravioli plates.
Divide crispy sage, beet chips, and toasted pine nuts over the ravioli plates. Garnish with a few shavings of fresh parmesan cheese and a bit of freshly ground pepper.
Notes
**I've tried to make this pasta without the xanthan gum and it does not work - it is too brittle and crumbly.
This nutritional information has been automatically calculated, and as such, may be incomplete or inaccurate. Please reference the specific ingredients you use for the most accurate nutritional information.