Hot Pink

Hello blogosphere. I'm here for the day (and maybe a couple more depending on my schedule and inspiration this week) because I wanted to showcase the ravioli I made for dinner the other day.

I had a few friends over for dinner so I thought I would treat them to home made pasta. Kill two birds with one stone: surprise my friends with a unique dish (which turned out to be a crowd pleaser) and gather material for my almost abandoned--keyword almost--food blog.

Before I move onto the recipe let me write an update on my life. I'm officially three weeks away from my first marathon! I can't begin to explain how excited and scared I am. Even though my initial fear of not finishing was obliterated by months of hard training and disappeared somewhere along week 12, a new fear has emerged in its place. I'm now terrified of not reaching my goal of a Boston Qualifier.

In a way, I'm happy I still fear something because it's making me challenge myself and stay focused on the running ahead. But at the same time, I'm anxious for the day to come when I can turn my dream into an achievement.

Ok. Enough writing about my running--I don't want to jinx anything--here is the recipe to these delicious and photogenic beet ravioli. I'll link to the pasta recipe, but if that is too much for one go, wonton wrappers are a good substitute (or so Epicurious says). Still, if you have the time and the motivation, I recommend making the pasta dough too; no need for a pasta machine and completely worth it.

Beet Ravioli with Poppy Seed Butter (adapted from Epicurious)
Makes about 60 ravioli.
Active time: 45 mins. Total time:

• 2 red beets (about 14 oz.)
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs
• 1 1/4 Fresh Egg Pasta (or other pasta recipe)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese + extra for serving

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Wrap beets individually in foil and place on baking sheet. Roast until tender when pierced with knife, about 1 hour. Open foil and let cool.
2. Peel beets and finely grate. Add ricotta cheese and season with salt and pepper. Stir in breadcrumbs.
3. Prepare a baking sheet by placing a layer of plastic wrap (or half of a clear plastic bag) and sprinkle it with flour. Roll pasta dough into sheets according to recipe above. Working with one sheet at a time, using a 3-inch round biscuit cutter, cut 7-8 rounds out of each sheet. Transfer rounds to prepared sheet, lightly sprinkle with flour and cover with another layer of plastic. Repeat with remaining dough.
4. Sprinkle two smooth kitchen towels with flour and set aside; place a small bowl of water next to work surface. Working in batches, place pasta rounds on work surface and spoon 1 teaspoon beet filling onto half of each round. Dip fingertip into water and dampen edge of the round; fold over the filling, pushing out as much air as possible and pressing edges to seal. Transfer sealed ravioli to prepared towels. Repeat with remainder. 
5. Melt butter in a large skillet and stir in poppy seeds; keep warm. Working in batches, cook ravioli in a large pot of salted boiling water until tender, about 4 minutes each. Using slotted spoon, transfer to skillet with butter and toss to coat. Transfer ravioli to serving dish and and sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan. Serve warm and with extra parmesan cheese.