Photo: Eric Monteiro
Stracciatelli cheese sandwiched between beets creates a colorful, artful pasta-free ravioli. This dish spruces up some of our best catering menus.
Makes four servings
BEET RAVIOLI
8 whole large beets
1 cup of fresh Stracciatella cheese
· Peel one large beet
· Slice beet as thinly as possible on a Japanese Mandolin
· Use the center slices for best results so that each beet slice is 2.5 to 3 inches in diameter
· Juice the remaining whole beets in an electric juicer, saving both liquid and grated pulp
· Slow poach beet slices in beet juice until tender
· Slice immediately and drain on a towel
· Save beet juice for dressing and reserve sliced beets
· Chill until assembly
BEET DUST
· Oven dry the beet pulp from the juicing process to a fine powder powder. Dry either in a low oven at 180 to 200 degrees celcius for 30 minutes, or in a food dehydrator until all moisture is removed
· When cooled, gently pulse in a food processor until a light beet dust crumble is achieved
HERB POWDER
1 parsley
1 basil
½ pound spinach
1 cup panko bread crumbs
· Bring a pot of slightly salted water to a boil
· Blanch the spinach in boiling water for three seconds and transfer to ice bath
· When cooled, remove from ice water and drain
· Press all water out of the spinach
· In a blender, puree the spinach, basil and parsley together on high until you have a green paste. Reserve paste to blend with bread crumbs
· Place one cup of panco bread crumbs and 3 tablespoons of herb paste in a food processor and pulse until the color is a uniform bright green
· Dry either in an oven at 180- 200 degrees for 30 minutes, or in a food dehydrator until all moisture is removed
· When cooled, gently pulse in a food processor until a light herb dust crumble is achieved
POACHED HEARTS OF PALM
4 pieces of medium-sized, fresh Hearts of palm
1 orange
2 thyme sprigs
Water to cover
· Place raw hearts of palm in a small pot and cover with water
· Add orange peel, thyme, and juice from orange
· Simmer until tender
· Chill immediately: store in a squeeze bottle, and reserve for assembly
BEET VINAIGRETTE
4 ounces beet poaching liquid (reserved from poaching process)
1 ounce Mediterranean vinegar
4 ounces olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
PLATE GARNISH
3 baby turnips, peeled and shaved on mandolin
6 ounces pea tendrils
ASSEMBLY METHOD
· Start by placing a line of beet powder on plate
· Create a matching line of herb powder parallel to the beet powder
· Place one beet slice on the side of the herb powder
· Spoon a dollop of Stracciatella on top of beet slice
· Season the Stracciatella lightly with salt and pepper
· Place another beet slice on top of Stracciatella to create a ravioli
· Repeat this step to build second “ravioli”
· On the opposite side of the plate, place three slices of hearts of palm in a line formation with small a space between each
· Place shaved turnips as garnish in between each heart of palm slice
· Lastly, gently dress the “ravioli“ with the beet vinaigrette. Add a line of pea tendril salad on the beet dust, then drizzle all salad with extra virgin olive oil