Beet Ravioli with Herbed Goat Cheese

Beet ravioli stuffed with herbed goat cheese

I should perhaps put ravioli in quotation marks, as there’s no flour, no pasta and no dough in this dish. These morsels of vibrant color and flavor are pure veggie goodness filled with a bite of delicious herbed cheese.

In order to get the top and the bottom slices of beets to fit perfectly you’ll be playing matchmaker. The easiest way to do this is to reserve adjacent slices as pairs. The leftover slices and odd ends can be used in another dish, such as my Beet Tahini Spread.

Ingredients:

·      3 large beets

·      4 ounces fresh goat cheese

·      2-3 tablespoons minced parsley, chives, thyme, basil, or tarragon (your choice, any combination)

·      Reduced balsamic for filling and drizzling (see recipe below)

·      Truffle oil or extra virgin olive oil for drizzling (optional)

·      Salt and pepper to taste

·      Garnish: chives or thyme leaves  (optional)

Preparation:

Spoon herbed goat cheese on each beet slice

·      Preheat oven to 400° F.

·      Wrap the beets in tinfoil and place on a baking sheet. Roast about 1 hour or until the beets are tender but not entirely soft, remove from oven and allow beets to cool a bit

·      Peel off beets’ skin

·      Slice beets thinly with a mandoline slicer, knife or peeler

·      In a small bowl or mini food processor, combine the goat cheese with the herbs, season with salt and pepper as needed

·      Arrange beet rounds on a large serving plate

·      Spoon a drop of reduced balsamic, and a ½ teaspoon of the herbed goat cheese on each of the slices

·      Cover with a size matched slice of beet, pressing the edges lightly

·      Dress with some truffle or olive oil and reduced balsamic

·      Garnish with chives or your herb of choice 

*Reduced balsamic: Put balsamic vinegar (the inexpensive one) in small saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 7-12 minutes, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Reduced balsamic can be stored in the fridge for weeks. 

Enjoy!