The simplicity of this recipe may not be as obvious as it is; making your own pasta can sound daunting, even to an experienced cook. But the hypnotic roll of the dough and dainty cutting of the discs is therapeutic and addictive. As we prepared the dish, Katie and I switched the tasks over to allow for an even spread of the magic.
This is a simple dish that’s enjoyable to make and eat. We discussed that the disks could have been larger and more substantial, to emulate the serve of a fancy restaurant. But that’s up to you. This is just another plant based recipe out of the Avocado Please test kitchen. Enjoy!
Beetroot Ravioli With Kale Pesto
Ingredients:
Makes around 20 (serves 4)
For the pasta:
- 2 beetroots, peeled and sliced, then blitz to a fine mush using a hand blender
- 4 free range eggs
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 400g pasta flour (Italian ‘00’ flour works best)
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
For the kale pesto:
- 1 bunch of kale (de-stemmed)
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 50g cashew nuts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions:
First, make the pasta. Put the pasta flour into a bowl, and break the eggs into the centre. Gradually incorporate the olive oil, then start to bring the mixture together. Add the mushed beetroot to the flour mixture, including some of the juice. Bring the mixture together into a ball of dough, then wrap in clingfilm and chill whilst you make the pesto.
For the pesto, steam the kale for about 2 minutes, until a bright vibrant green. Put into a food processor, then add the cashew nuts, olive oil, garlic and some salt and pepper and blitz until a rough paste forms.
Roll the dough out onto a floured work surface until very thin, and you can almost see your fingers through it (around 1mm — seriously). Cut into round discs, approximately then put one teaspoon of the pesto in the middle of each disc, place another on top and seal the edges by pressing a fork around the edges.
Get a pan of salted water to a gentle boil, and slide the ravioli into the water with a spoon. They will only need about 3 minutes, as fresh pasta cooks very quickly. Don’t overcrowd the pan, as they might fall apart. Drain the pasta, and serve drizzled with olive oil, a good grinding of black pepper and the zest and juice of a lemon.