Beet Ravioli with Goat Cheese

Slowly, I am getting back on track and start to cook again, after all lately, I haven't really cooked anything special. That lamb meal was also a pretty weak trial, but at least I did not stop cooking completly. On the other side, sometimes we all need to take a break. I can not tell you how many weeks I spent with thinking about these ravioli. I was almost totally blocked. The problem was, that I wanted to use too many ingriedents in this simple dish. Simplicity is always better!


It seems that I have a period of goat cheese-beetroot this winter, the last time they came in a form of gnocchi. So the plan was to make a beetroot pasta and stuff it with goat cheese, but I did not know if it should be a dessert, a main course or something in between. At the begining I had pomegrante on mind and even parsnip and of course poppy. That was just too much! I had to get rid of these ingredients and thoughts. Therefore I decided to start with making the pasta and the rest will be what will be. And indeed, it worked! I served the goat cheese stuffed ravioli with a tarragon flavoured blood orange and beet juice sauce (or rather a syrup) and some roasted walnuts. It was an amazing harmony on the plate! And the best is, I feel so free and I am full with a lot of new ideas.


Ingredients:
100 g flour
100 ml beet juice
1 egg yolk
1/2 egg white
1 small beet
2 kk powder sugar
juice of 2 blood oranges
70 ml beet juice
2 twigs fresh tarragon



Bring the 100 ml beet juice to the boil and reduce by half (it is going to have sort of a sirupy consistency). Knead a dough out of the flour, egg yolk, half egg white and about 5-6 tablespoons of reduced beet juice. Roll out dough with the help of a pasta machine and make the ravioli. Fill with lemon zest flavoured goat cheese with the addition of some sugar. Cook ravioli in simmering water. Peel and cut beet in small cubes and cook in boiling water so that is half cooked through. Melt powder sugar and caramlise beet cubes add beet juice and orange juice and cook until reduced by half, add fresh tarragon and let it stand for 5-7 minutes. Remove tarragon and reduce the liquid until it has reached a thick consistency. Serve the ravioli with the sauce, fresh tarragon leaves and roasted walnuts.