Casunziei (Beet Ravioli with Brown Butter, Sage and Poppy Seeds)

Finally. Finally I made this dish! This is my favorite dish at Al Di La.  I usually make a point of eating at Al Di La when I am visiting friends back in Park Slope, Brooklyn.  This Italian trattoria famously does not take reservations, but it's worth the wait (or the ridiculously early dinner). While I no longer live close enough to get my casunziei fix, I have doctored up a version very close to the one at Al Di La. This dish is perfect for fall.

I didn't follow a particular recipe for this dish -- you can just wing it. Below are the ingredients and proportions I used for the filling and the sauce. You can use any fresh pasta dough recipe for the raviolis. Pasta dough recipes vary in the amount of eggs, flour and oil -- but I am partial to the one by Mario Batali in Food and Wine. I cannot emphasize enough how important very farm fresh eggs are for a great pasta dough. I made a half recipe of the pasta dough recipe and ended up with about 30 small raviolis.

Ingredients:

Filling

• 2 large beets
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce

• 8 Tablespoons butter
• 4 sage leaves
• poppy seeds

How To:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place whole beets in a baking dish with 2 TB of water, cover with foil, cut a slit on top and bake for 45 minutes.  Once beets are cooled, use a pairing knife to peel and segment the beets.
3. Place beets into food processor and pulse until the beets form a smooth puree - there will be some texture left.
4. In a large bowl, add the beet puree and ricotta cheese. Salt and pepper filling to taste, and then mix in one egg. Refrigerate the filling until ready to use.
5. Make the pasta dough according to your favorite recipe. Roll dough thin for raviolis (I used #6 on the pasta maker). Cut the shape of your ravioli and fill with the beet mixture. Seal the edges with egg white. I used a 3 inch biscuit cutter, which made fairly small ravioli when folded over into semi-circles. If the dough was rolled a bit thicker (#5) it could handle a larger size and more filling.
6. For the sauce, in a frying pan place the butter and whole sage leaves on low heat until the butter is fully melted and slightly browned.
7. Gently drop the raviolis into a large pot of salted boiling water. Remove the raviolis when they float to the top -- should only take 2-3 minutes.
8. Drizzle the butter sauce over the raviolis and then add a healthy amount of poppy seeds.

Note: If you're feeling ambitious and make extra, you can make the raviolis and freeze them on a large baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Once frozen through, you can remove them from the sheet and into a plastic freezer bag.

Spring Spaghetti

Spring has finally sprung! This dish is the perfect reminder that long, warm and sunny days are here. This is one of my all time favorites because it is so light and fresh.

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 4 servings of dry spaghetti
• 1 leek, sliced
  
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
  
• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
  
• 1.5 cups frozen or fresh peas
• Salt
• Pepper
• Parmesan
  

How to:

1. Bring a large stock pot filled with salted water to a boil. When the water reaches a rolling boil add the dry spaghetti
   
2. Heat a 12 inch skillet and coat with olive oil. Add the leeks and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes
3. Add the garlic, asparagus and 1 ladle of the pasta water to the skillet. Cook about 2 minutes on medium-low heat. Add the peas and stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat.
   
4. Using tongs, add the pasta to the skillet and stir until the vegetables and pasta are mixed well.
   
5. Garnish with olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Notes:
It's very important not to overcook the vegetables. Be sure that the vegetables remain bright green and have a snap to them, it adds to the freshness of the dish. Enjoy!