Three-Cheese Beetroot Ravioli with Figs, Walnuts & Thyme

For the beet purée:

2 medium beets
olive oil, q.b.
salt, q.b.

For the beetroot pasta dough:

380 grams all-purpose flour or 00 flour
116 grams eggs (about 1 whole egg and 2-3 egg yolks)
100 grams beet purée

For the three-cheese filling:

10 ounces fresh ricotta cheese
10 ounces goat cheese
4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ lemon, zested
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon honey
salt, q.b.

For the sauce:

6 tablespoons salted butter
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
4 dried figs, finely chopped
4 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts

To prepare the beet purée:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Wash the beets and pat dry with a towel. Rub the skin with olive oil, sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt, and wrap in aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until soft when pierced with a fork. Let the beet cool, then remove the skins (they should come off easily).

Puree the beets in a food processor or blender until smooth.

To make the beetroot pasta dough:

Take a large, clean baking sheet and place a flattened, damp kitchen towel underneath it. This will serve as your kneading station and help prevent staining your table or countertop.

In a large bowl, add the flour. Make a well in the center, then pour in the eggs and beetroot puree. Mix together with a fork or your hands until the dough starts to come together and form a shaggy mass.

Dump the dough out onto your baking sheet. Knead for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, elastic, and uniform in color. If the dough feels too dry, spritz it a few times with water.

Cover the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours, at room temperature.

To make the filling:

Add all the filling ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Scoop out the filling and place them in a piping bag or large zipper sealed plastic bag. Place the filling in the fridge until ready to use. The filling will keep in the fridge for 48 hours.

Once ready to use, snip off the tip of the piping bag or plastic bag.

To fill and shape the ravioli:

Unwrap the dough, and use a bench scraper or large knife to divide it into quarters. Take one piece and set it aside. Wrap up the rest in plastic wrap so that it doesn’t dry out.

Use a rolling pin to roll your piece of dough out a bit. Then roll the dough through the first 2 to 3 settings on your pasta machine. Fold it into a trifold brochure, then feed it through the machine again. Next, roll the dough into a thin sheet. (On an Atlas 150 Marcato pasta machine, this is setting 7. Follow your pasta machine’s instructions for ravioli. )

Lay one end of your sheet of pasta over a ravioli tablet. Take your filling and pipe about a teaspoon into each ravioli “cavity.” Fold the other end of the pasta machine so that it’s laying flat on top of the filled sheet. Using a rolling pin, gently press and roll over the top sheet so it seals the two sheets together. This will also help “stamp” out the ravioli tablets (you should start to see the edges of the tablet cutting through the pasta).

Carefully remove the ravioli from the tablet, separating them from one another. Place the finished ravioli on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, dusted with a little bit of semolina flour.

Repeat the process with the remaining dough and filling (you may have some leftover filling).

To make the sauce and serve:

Heat the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Once it starts bubbling and sizzling, add the thyme leaves, chopped figs, and chopped walnuts. Simmer just until the butter starts to turn brown and the walnuts are toasted. Turn the heat down to low.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, gently drop in the ravioli. Cook for 3 minutes, use a slotted spoon to carefully transfer them to the pan with the brown butter. Carefully toss the ravioli to coat in the butter sauce, being careful not to stir too vigorously or the ravioli will break open.

Divide the ravioli among plates, top with any remaining butter sauce, and serve warm.