Saturday, January 7, 2012

Warm Beetroot Ravioli with Lemon Leeks and Walnuts

Wow!  What a hectic and crazy cooking Christmas season it has been and for me it ends today, Kings day.  I did my private chefing gig for the family I have been cooking for for over three years.
I"ve been cooking non-stop for the past 20 days.  Lunch and dinner from between 12 to 26 people every day and loving it!  This food sure was not vegan or anti-cancer but homemade and tasty.  Here is a small sampling of some of the dishes I prepared, in no particular order.
Fennel and Orange Salad with Pomegranate, Red Onion and Pine nuts.
Duck Leg Confit.
Spanish Flan.
A Danish Christmas Dinner.
Crispy Chanterelle Risotto with Lobster and Peas.
Oven Baked Sea Bass with Rosemary and Lemon.
Grilled Black Angus Rib Eye Steak.
Oven Roasted Free Range Chicken with Glazed Carrots and Pearl Onions.
Rice Pudding Cake with Almonds.
Ginger Snap Cookies.
Lemon Meringue Pie.
Pan Seared Dover Sole with Buerre Blanc.
Beef, Mushroom and Barley Soup.
Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter, Sage and Walnuts.
Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Duck, Apples and Sage.
Hake in Salsa Verde with Clams cooked in Terracota.
Lobster Ravioli and Tomato Sauce with Orange, Lemon and Tarragon.
Irish Rack of Lamb with Roasted Potatoes and Rosemary.
Pimientos De Piquillo stuffed with Alaskan King Crab.
Gambas Ajillo.
Prawns a la Plancha.
Bearnaise Sause
Pears in Red Wine with Vanilla Ice Cream and Warm Chocolate Sauce.
Warm Apple, Pear and Rhubarb Crisp with Brandy Ice Cream.
Moroccan Lamb Tagine
CousCous with Dates, Sweet Potato and Almonds.
Beef Tartar with Arugula Salad.
Sea Bass Carpaccio with Orange, Soy and Wasabi Dressing.
Braised Oxtail with Vanilla and Red Wine.
Baked Catalan Sausage with Apples and Red Onions.
Brown Chicken Stock.
Mixed Dark Rices with Raisins and Almonds.
Norway Salmon Baked with Lemon and Butter.
Apple Strudel with Vanilla Ice Cream and Brandied Toffee Sauce.
Chocolate Cake.
Banana Ginger Bread.
Whole Wheat and Barley Bread.
Sashimi of Tuna, Sea Bass and Salmon

While I was making this tasty dish my brother, his wife and my wife were watching me from California via Skype.  They were sitting at the breakfast table eating Omelletes and we were chatting away sharing our cooking secrets, talking about skiing and dogs, ya know about the usual stuff.
In this recipe I used the thinly sliced beetroot in place of pasta and made the filling with sauteed leeks, lemon and walnuts.  The warmed raviolis with chilled oranges, raisins, walnut powder and halves makes this plate sublime.
Zeee Ingreeedeeeentssssss

Zee Famileeeeeee a watching meeeeeeeeee.

Slice the beets nice and grate the orange zest fine.

Fill the raviolis

Cover the raviolis

Put the raviolis on the plate like so

Start to get creative like so


Add a little more lovin!


Maybe just a little more and KAZAM!!!
A new dish is born

Warm Beetroot Ravioli with Lemon Leeks and Walnuts
by Jeff Harter
Prep Time: 1/2 hour
Cook Time: 1/2 hour
Keywords: appetizer entree salad gluten-free low-carb soy-free sugar-free vegan vegetarian beetroot


I learned the ravioli technique while I was staging at El Bulli. Here I used beetroot but mango, pineapple papaya, etc. will work as well. Use the fruits and vegetables sliced thinly in place of pasta. Then fill with what ever you like.
Ingredients (serves 4)
  • 4 precooked beetroots
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 8 Leeks (white part only) thinly sliced
  • Fine zest of 1 large orange
  • 20 Walnuts crushed
  • Juice of 2 lemons (1/4 cup)
  • 20 orange sections with no pith
  • 20 walnut halves
  • 20 walnut halves finely grated
  • 20 raisins
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil
Instructions
  • Slice beets on a mandoline or with a knife thin as possible until you have 40 usable slices. Place sliced beets on counter top or cutting board.
  • Heat saute pan over medium heat and add 3 tbsp olive oil and heat for 2 mins then add sliced leeks. Add a pinch of salt and saute 5 mins then cover for 5 mins stirring several times. Add lemon juice and cover for 10 mins stirring several times. Take lid off and add black pepper, orange zest and more salt if needed and continue cooking until all liquid is evaporated. Place in bowl and put in fridge for 5 mins to cool. When cool place a teaspoon on half the beet slices then cover with other beet slice. Place all on a cooking sheet using a spatula and place in a preheated oven 350 degrees for about 5 mins.
  • Meanwhile slice oranges by first cutting off all peel then cut out segments and save until you have 20.
  • Grated walnut halves until you have 8 tbsp. of walnut powder and save.
  • Mix 4 tbsp of walnut powder with 1 tbsp beet juice and 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil.
  • Platting:
  • When raviolis are warm place 5 on each plate then in between each ravioli an orange slice then a raisin between each orange slice. Place a scoop of walnut powder in the center of the oranges and beets. Then place a walnut on top of each ravioli then a dot of the beet juice, walnut olive oil mix above each orange slice. Top all with drizzle of olive oil and a tiny sprinkle of salt.
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