Beet Ravioli Hearts with a Light Vegan Cheese Sauce

My heart beets for you! A special Valentine’s Day recipe for that special someone you care about.

Yield: 6-7 hearts

Ingredients:

for the beet dough:

• 1 large red beet, juiced (making 1/2 cup juice and keep the pulp for the filling)
• 1 cup semolina flour
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• pinch salt

for the filling:

• 1½ cups beet puree (from the beet that was juiced)
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons miso
• 1 teaspoon mild mustard

for the light cheese sauce:

• 1 – 1½ cups soy yogurt
• 2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons miso
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• splash lemon juice
• splash Tabasco
• salt and white pepper as desired

for the garnish:

• hazelnuts, chopped and toasted

Directions:

to make the ravioli dough:

1. Peel and juice a large beet. Keep the pulp to use for the filling. If you don’t have a juicer, you can peel the beet, cut into cubes or grate with a food processor and then either puree or cook and puree. Put some of the puree through a sieve for the 1/2 cup of juice and use the rest of the puree for the filling.
2. In a bowl, combine the semolina flour, salt, olive oil and 1/2 cup beet juice.
3. Mix well. Place a lid or plate over the bowl and let it sit for 30 minutes.

to make the filling:

1. Measure the pureed beets and place in a bowl.
2. Add the nutritional yeast, sesame oil, mustard and miso and mix well.
3. Check the consistency, if it is too wet then add 2 or 3 tablespoons of dried bread crumbs.

to make the sauce:

1. Place the soy yogurt in a saucepan.
2. Add the nutritional yeast, miso, mustard, splash of lemon juice and splash of Tabasco and gently mix
3. Heat the sauce on low, stirring from time to time.

to form the ravioli:

1. Roll 1/2 of the dough out on a lightly floured workspace.
2. Using a cookie cutter, cut out heat shapes from the dough.
3. Place a teaspoon full of filling on 1/2 of the hearts.
4. Carefully using the rolling pin, roll each of the other hearts out to slightly enlarge so they will fit evenly over the filled hearts.
5. Lightly moisten the edge one side of the enlarged hearts with water and place over the hearts with the filling.
6. Carefully crimp the edges closed first using your fingers, then if desired with a fork. make sure the hearts are completely closed so the filling does not come out when cooking.
7. Continue for all of the ravioli. (If you roll the dough very thinly, you should be able to get about 7 medium hearts from the dough. I had some filling left over, which I have used as a spread for breads.

to prepare the garnish:

1. Chop a few hazelnuts or blanched almonds.
2. Heat a small frying pan and gently toast the nuts.
3. Carefully watch the nuts and stir while they are toasting as they can burn quite quickly.
4. Once they are lightly golden, remove from the pan and allow to cool.

to cook the ravioli:

1. Bring a large soup pot of lightly salted water to boil.
2. Once boiling, turn the heat down to a gently rolling boil.
3. Add 2-3 hearts and cook until they float.

to serve:

1. Place some of the sauce on a plate.
2. Remove the hearts from the boiling water using a slotted spoon.
3. Place a heart or 2 on each plate.
4. Sprinkle the toasted nuts over the top and serve.

Notes:

I make a lighter version of vegan cheese sauce using the soy yogurt rather than the cashew nuts. If you prefer the cashew cheese, then by all means make that using 1 cup of soaked raw cashew nuts instead of the soy yogurt. Puree the cashew nuts in a blender and add the rest of the sauce ingredients.