Beet Ravioli with goat cheese filling and a Lemon Butter Sauce

makes about 36 (2”) ravioli

Ravioli Dough: 
3 eggs
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 small beets, roasted, blended

Filling: 
Zest of one lemon
1/4 cup ricotta
1/4 cup goat cheese
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped finely
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Lemon Butter Sauce:
1 large shallot, diced
6 Tablespoons butter, divided
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup white wine
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon parsley, as garnish
lemon zest, as garnish

Mixing Pasta Dough by Hand:
1. Working on a large bread board, sift together the flour. Measure 2 cups of flour and two pinches of salt onto the board. Place in a mound in the center of the board. Reserve the remaining 1/4 cup of flour for kneading.

2.Make a well in the middle of the flour mound, crack two eggs into the well. 

3.Using a fork, scramble the eggs without breaking the flour walls. Add the blended beats. Gradually incorporate flour from the sides of the well until all flour is incorporated and a ball is formed.

4. Dust the board with some of the reserved flour, and knead the dough for 5-7 minutes. Add flour periodically to keep the dough from getting sticky. The dough should be smooth and elastic.

5. Let the ball of pasta dough set covered under a bowl, or plastic wrap for 15 minutes to allow the glutens to relax. The dough may be left to rest longer, up to 30 minutes. As it rests, it will become increasingly softer and easier to roll into thin sheets.

Filling:
1. In a large bowl, mix filling ingredients together until combined, set aside for assembly.

Assembly:
1. Roll pasta dough into thin sheets using a pasta rolling machine, or rolling pin, by hand.
2. Place one sheet of pasta on the ravioli tray. Press insert into the sheet to make space for filling, then remove insert.
3. Place a tablespoon-sized scoop of filling in each pocket,
4. Top the tray with a second sheet of pasta to cover filling, replace insert on top. Using a rolling pin, roll over tray to seal ravioli.
5. Carefully remove ravioli from tray, cutting with a pastry cutter, as needed.

Cooking:
1. Bring 5 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add 2 Tablespoons salt.
2. Place the ravioli in the boiling water in batches so as not to crowd.
3. Once the ravioli begin to float, check a corner for doneness.
4. Using a slotted spoon, or a spider tool,remove the ravioli and place in a warm bowl.

Lemon Butter Sauce:
1. In a skillet, sauté shallot in 2 tbsp butter. Mix in lemon juice, and wine. Let sauce reduce until it is half it’s size. On low heat, add remaining butter 1 tbsp at a time, while whisking until sauce is combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
2. Drizzle sauce over the cooked ravioli and garnish with fresh parsley and lemon zest.

Divide the pasta dough into portions with a dough cutter or knife.  If you’ve used two eggs, cut into two portions; if you’ve used four eggs, cut into four portions, etc.Dust the working surface, flatten one portion of the dough into a disc.
With your hand-cranked pasta machine clamped to your countertop, set the rollers to their widest setting.
While cranking, feed the disc of dough into the rollers.  Continue cranking evenly until the entire portion has been rolled.
Dust each side of the rolled pasta dough with a small amount of flour.
Reduce the width of the rollers to the next thinnest setting.  Feed the dough through the rollers.
Repeat the narrowing of the rollers and the thinning of the dough until the dough has been processed through its thinnest setting.