Carrot Ravioli

I am a blogoholic , I can read blogs all a day long especially when it comes down to reading about food, my eyes pop out when I see something yummy which I want to make straight away.

One fine morning I was on my blog reading spree and I came across this mouth watering recipe of ravioli, that too a healthy one, I could taste it while I was reading about it. It felt so delicious in my thoughts that I couldn’t resist and wanted to make it straight away. Though am very much naive in making pasta, even more at ravioli, but I plucked up the courage and ventured out into the unknown. I arranged for all the ingredients that I could find in that few hours and started my dinner prep.

I started preparing for dough and other side my helper (naina) who dedicatedly started chopping vegetables minutely, as recently I have been more inclined towards having more veggies in my diet so I thought of making vegetable garlic sauce instead of pesto.

Not having access to pasta machine, I had to hand roll the dough to prepare the raviolis which was a bit of a tedious task. I tried many shapes and styles and finally finished off with a fork style to make it look like the ones at the restaurant.

I was very keen on taking prep photos but I got so involved while making it that I just forgot about the time lapse. Those few hours were so enriching that I had my round of meditation. The end result was deliciously satisfying. My husband got variety of shapes on his plate. For once he even exclaimed momo! I frowned at first for not getting the shape right. But seeing him getting lost in the flavor from the very first bite made it all worth it.

Carrot dough

• ¾ cup whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• ½ cup semolina flour
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• Salt to taste
• 2tbsp oil

Spinach –pecan filling

• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
• 1 ½ cup ricotta cheese (Chena)
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• 3- 4 basil leaves
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Garlic bell-pepper sauce

• 3-4 chopped garlic buds
• 1tbsp butter
• 2tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

For pasta

• Pre heat oven on 220 degree Celsius, line the baking tray with a little bit of oil and add chopped carrots, drizzle some oil and salt from above. Bake for 10 min or till they are soft and mushy. Grind them into puree and let it cool down
• Now add all flour in the puree with little more oil and knead well into smooth and firm dough. It should not be sticky.
• Keep it aside, covering it with muslin cloth.

Filling

• Wash the spinach thoroughly, and let it dry on kitchen towel for few min. Finally chop them finely.
• Add ricotta cheese, finely chopped basil leaves, pecan nuts, salt , pepper and chill flakes
• Mix it thoroughly and keep it aside.

Ravioli

• If you don’t have a pasta maker, take small amount of dough and roll it into long strips or rounds, and cut it into half or make two round layers.
• Now place 1tbsp filling on the layer in the distance according to the cutter you use. I used a lid of steel jar.
• Brush it with water around the sides of the filling. Top it with the other layer.
• Press it with the cutter on both layer
• Finally finish the sides with fork. So that they sealed and also looks good.(fhew!)
• Now let them dive into boiling water for 3 to 4 min max
• And drain them out.

Sauce;

• Heat the pan, add butter and olive oil to it, and now add chopped garlic and onions.
• When onions are cooked, chopped red and yellow bell pepper, toss it for few minutes.
• Then add salt & pepper

Now add this sauce on top of cooked raviolis, sprinkle parmesan cheese and serve hot.

health benefits:

• Instead of lot butter for butter garlic sauce ,i have used olive oil which is healthy dietery fat. It can help in absorption of nutrients from food
• Spinach is sometimes in not in good books of everyone but its rich source of iron and other nutrients. So this marriage of ricotta cheese and spinach is so delightful yummy and healthy that anyone would love it. even children's.
• Instead of plain dough , carrot pulp fused one is much interesting yet delicious which adds on to your veggies in your diet.
• Rather than plain butter garlic sauce make these meal go one notch higher by adding bell-pepper which are rich in carotinoids and phytochemicals ,works as anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidants.

Thank you

lots of love

P.