Beetroot ravioli with poppy seeds

Ingredients:

Ravioli

• 450 g beets, trimmed and peeled
• 0.25 cups and 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 0.5 cup ricotta
• 0.5 cups of milk
• Basic pasta dough, recipe below
• 0.25 cup poppy seeds
• 1 cup melted butter
• Carnia cheese for garnish (can be replaced with Montasio cheese)

Basic pasta dough

• 3.5-4 cups wheat flour
• 4 very large eggs
• 0.5 tsp olive oil

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
   
   Drizzle the beets with olive oil. Wrap in foil and bake for 45 minutes, until very soft. Remove from the oven and peel the beets when they've cooled slightly. Mash with a potato masher.
2. In a small bowl, combine the mashed beets, ricotta, and milk, mixing well with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool completely.
3. Prepare the pasta dough and roll it out very thinly using a pasta rolling machine. Cut the dough into 5cm squares. Place a heaping tablespoon of beetroot filling in the center of half of the squares and top with the remaining squares. Press the edges to seal the two pieces of dough. Set aside, covered with a damp towel, until the water comes to a boil.
4. Bring 6 liters of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Cook the ravioli in the boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and place the ravioli in a large serving bowl. Toss with melted butter and poppy seeds, and serve with grated cheese.
   
   Recipe pumpkin ravioli.
   
   Basic pasta dough:
   
   Place 3.5 cups of flour in a mound in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the flour and add the eggs and olive oil. Using a fork, whisk the eggs and oil until they begin to blend with the flour around the edges of the well.
   
   As the well begins to widen, continue to rake flour from the base of the mound to maintain its shape. The dough will be smooth once half the flour has been used.
   
   Begin kneading the dough with the palms of both hands. Once you have a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board, scrape down, and discard any remaining bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for another 6 minutes. The dough should be elastic and slightly sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
   
   Roll out the dough with a pasta rolling machine to the desired thickness.