Beet Leaf & Cheese Ravioli

I made this particular filling for ravioli, the other day and my partner described them as divine. I think they are more on the robust side than the divine side. But I have to admit - they were very tasty and definitely have their place, here on this blog.
Just a note on quantities: I never plan how much of an ingredient is going to go into my ravioli fillings. I just ask for a piece of ricotta and then work with whatever amount the shop assistant gives me. And the same goes for the other ingredients. If I could only salvage 100g of leaves from the beetroot bunch, then so be it. It isn’t the end of the world. Just adjust as you go along. Taste, taste, taste and make sure the filling is well flavoured. Remember - pasta is bland.
I am only providing the recipe for the filling here because I have written about ravioli twice before. Check the recipe archive for assembly, cooking techniques and the sage butter recipe (I would leave out the anchovy for this dish though).
The following recipe will make enough filling for about 50 ravioli. Enough to feed four.



Ingredients
The leaves from a bunch of golf ball size beetroots
300g freshest ricotta
1 tsp of dried greek oregano
30g Parmesan cheese, grated
30g Pecorino cheese, grated
1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
A splash of extra virgin olive oil
Fresh black pepper
Sea salt

Method
Sort through the beetroot leaves. Keep only those leaves that are healthy looking and tender (there is no point cooking with rubbish) I managed to get about 100g.
Cut of the stalks where they meet the base of the leaf. Discard the stalks.
Soak the leaves in a sinkful of water, to dislodge any dirt.
Remove the leaves from their bath and chop them roughly.
In a saucepan large enough to fit the leaves, wilt them over a high with a few drops of water, then remove them to a sieve and allow them to drain and cool.
Chop the leaves finely by hand and combine with all the remaining ingredients in a bowl. The red juices from the leaves will stain the ricotta a delicate pink colour. Taste to make sure it is well seasoned.
Refridgerate until you are ready to assemble your ravioli.

Silverbeet, Ricotta & Currant Ravioli

I know Silverbeet is an old fashioned vegetable and probably considered boring by some, but I really like it and I cook it often.
It is cheap and plentiful, and is available from both greengrocers and supermarkets I like it better than spinach and I cook with it all year round. The natural season for silverbeet in Australia, is April through to November. But I do not really care for this because I use it all year round! Another reason I use this vegetable often, is the fact you get “two” vegetables- the leaves and the stalks (I will provide a recipe for the stalks soon).
There are many recipes from the Mediterranean repertoire which combine silverbeet and currants (or raisins) and so I thought this combination would work well as a filling for Ravioli. And it was very successful. The sweetness from the currants are not immediately apparent to the palate, but offer a slight fruitiness which works well with the silverbeet and ricotta.
Unlike most vegetables, which benefit from quick cooking, I think silverbeet tastes best from a longer cooking method.
I am only offering the recipe for the filling and the dressing for this dish, because I have written about ravioli in the past. For more instructions on how to assemble and cook the ravioli, refer to the Potato and Basil Ravioli recipe in my archives.

Ingredients:

For the filling
10 silverbeet leaves (some large, some small, that’s just the way it goes)
20g cultured butter
1 tbsp of cream (35% milk fat)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp of currants
Sea salt
Fresh black and white pepper
200g ricotta

For the Sage and Anchovy butter
50g cultured butter
4 fresh sage leaves
2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped (or more if you like anchovy. I live with someone who despises them, so I keep these to a minimum)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Method

For the filling:
Soak the leaves in plenty of water, to loosen any dirt.
Cut away all traces of the stalk, all the way up through the leaf. Reserve the stalks for another meal. Roughly chop the leaves.
Place them into a saucepan (with any water still clinging to the leaves).
Cook over a high heat, stirring often until the leaves have just wilted. This will only take a couple of minutes.
Remove the leaves and place in a strainer. Leave to drain and cool. A considerable amount of liquid should drain away.
When the leaves are cool, chop them as fine as you can by hand.
Melt the butter in the saucepan used previously, over a low heat.
Add the silverbeet, cream and currants. Cook gently like this for about 15- 20 minutes, until most of the moisture has evaporated. The silverbeet will lose the bright green shade and turn a darker, deeper green.
Add the garlic towards the end, along with salt and pepper. Transfer to a glass bowl.
When cool, crumble in the ricotta and combine well.
If the filling seems a bit dry, add a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Check the seasoning again. Pasta is bland, so make sure the filling is well salted.
Cover until ready to assemble your ravioli.

For the dressing:
Prepare this while you are poaching the ravioli.
Over a low heat, in a small saucepan melt together the butter, anchovy fillets and the sage. Do this until the butter is a very light golden brown and the anchovy has completely disappeared. The sage will add a subtle fragrance and the anchovy a mysterious background saltiness (in fact most palates will not pick up on the anchovy note)
Pour over the ravioli and serve with Parmesan cheese
Note- I have not mentioned my thoughts on butter before- I always use unsalted, cultured butter. Sometimes French, sometimes Australian. The French butter is white and creamy, the Australian not as creamy but still has a very good flavour. I honestly find the flavour of ordinary salted butter simply revolting. This nasty tasting butter will ruin any dish you use it in...

Potato & Basil Ravioli

In hindsight, I think my happiest childhood memories are the ones I have of my grandmother. There isn’t much I actually recall of my childhood but I do remember making fresh pasta with her. As a child, this was definitely better than playing outside with the other kids. If I wasn’t helping then I was watching her for hours as she prepared delicious foods for the family. Every Sunday, we ate fresh pasta- tagliarni, tagliatelle, ravioli, cannelloni, or sometimes lasagne. The stuffed pasta was almost always filled with spinach, ricotta and meat. And was dressed with tomato sugo in which chicken or beef had been simmered until tender. The meat was served as a separate course. My grandmother made everything from scratch and as a child, I guess she just seemed like some sort of kitchen goddess (thanks Nigella).Not much has changed with me. I know what I would like to be doing (even on a nice day) and that’s cooking beautiful food. I made these yesterday. I found stuffing the pasta to be relaxing and very satisfying. But I don’t think I would attempt this for a crowd of people. My grandmother may be a goddess in that respect, so I leave that up to her. Cooking fiddly food for many people makes me very nervous indeed. But when making this for 2, it isn’t very involved or too time consuming. You can prepare them in advance and cook them when you are ready. And please do not be tempted to drown these in tomato sauce. You will kill the subtle flavours. All they need is a green, peppery olive oil and some parmesan cheese.

Ingredients
200g red skinned potatoes, whole and unpeeled
200g ricotta
10 g fresh basil leaves, finely chopped.
Fresh black pepper
Fresh white pepper
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil
Wonton wrappers (from asian food stores)
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preparing the filling
Start by steaming the potatoes, over boiling water until they are tender. About 30 minutes should do it.
In the meantime fork the ricotta in a bowl. Add to it the basil. The basil is crucial in this dish. Think of it as a main ingredient rather than a flavouring. You need plenty. I guess you could add as little or as much as you like but keep in mind that the potatoes and the ricotta are both bland and the basil offers a wonderful fragrant taste.
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them and then mash.
Add to the ricotta and season well with plenty of salt and both peppers. Once again, be generous with the seasoning and then finish it off with a splash of olive oil. You can make this filling as coarse or as smooth as you like. Mine was fairly smooth.
Allow to cool.

Assembling the ravioli
You will need 2 wonton wrappers per ravioli.
Place one wrapper on your work surface and with your finger wet the edges. Place one teaspoon of the filling in the center. Cover over with the second wrapper and using your hands press the edges together, expelling any air at the same time.
Using a fluted pastry wheel, trim the edges. If you don’t have a pastry wheel, just trim the edges with a knife. The finished parcel will be a 7 cm square, but you can make them any size. The smaller they are, the less filling you need.
Place them on a tea towel dusted with flour. I make 10 of these per person.

Cooking the ravioli
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add salt to the water and a splash of oil.
You may need to cook these in batches, depending on how many there are and how big your pot is. If that is the case, preheat your oven to the lowest setting. Boil the ravioli for about 1 minute once the water returns to the boil.
Lift them out with a perforated skimmer (do not pour them into a strainer) and tip them into an oiled ovenproof dish and keep warm in the oven whilst you cook the rest of the ravioli. Repeat as above until all are cooked.
Serve on individual flat plates, drizzled with olive oil and with sprinkles of pepper and parmesan cheese.
Note-If you are making this for 2 people you will definitely have left over filling and wrappers. Both freeze well.