Fresh ingredients create a colorful beet ravioli for a delectable and beautiful presentation. Stracciatelli cheese is sandwiched between beets for an artful, pasta-free ravioli – a dish featured on some of Thierry Isambert’s best catering menus.
Makes four servings.
BEET RAVIOLI
8 whole large beets
1 cup 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 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 until it’s a fine powder – either in a low oven at 180 to 200 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes, or in a food dehydrator.
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 lightly salted water to a boil. Blanch the spinach in boiling water for three seconds, then transfer to an ice bath. When cooled, remove spinach from ice water and 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 the bread crumbs.\Place one cup of panko 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 to 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 forms.
POACHED HEARTS OF PALM
4 pieces 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.
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 a 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 and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place another beet slice on top of Stracciatella to create a ravioli. Repeat this step to build a second ravioli.
On the opposite side of the plate, place three slices of hearts of palm in a line formation, leaving a small space between each slice.
Place shaved turnips as garnish in between each heart of palm slice.
Lastly, gently dress the ravioli with beet vinaigrette. Add a line of pea tendril salad on the beet dust, then drizzle all salad with extra virgin olive oil.