Sunday Market Kitchen at La Cucina Caldesi

One of my brothers, who shares my infatuation with good food and cooking, recently treated me (and himself of course!) to an Italian cookery class for my birthday. Big brownie points! The class was held at La Cucina Caldesi cookery school in Marylebone, London, which sits beside the Caffé Caldesi restaurant.

We turned up one sunny Sunday afternoon, joined by about fifteen other “students” who were mostly couples, friends or family members in pairs, and were introduced to our skilful tutor, the enchanting Stefano. After a brief potter about the charming local food market in Marylebone, we proceeded to cook a mouth-watering 3 course meal under Stefano’s instruction and guidance, before sitting round a large table together with plenty of wine and devouring the fruits of our labour.

The whole meal was simply delicious but if I had to choose the highlight of the meal, it would be the starter. Stefano taught us how to make and roll our own pasta sheets from scratch. The dish we made was truly spectacular - Ravioli stuffed with Beetroot and Ricotta with a Walnut Pesto.

So inspired was I by how simple and fulfilling it was to make fresh pasta that I went straight out and bought myself a pasta machine! Well... ok, so technically speaking my boyfriend actually got so tired of my incessant ramblings about the merits of home-made pasta that he caved in and bought it for me but anyway, I now own a pasta machine - yay!

I just tried out the recipe from the class at home the other day and it worked a charm. (If you don’t have a pasta machine don’t let that stop you – just roll the pasta out very thinly by hand, it just requires a bit of elbow grease!)

Here is the recipe for the Ravioli stuffed with Beetroot and Ricotta with a Walnut Pesto, courtesy of Cucina Caldesi.

RECIPE (serves 4)

For the Pesto
100g Walnuts
50g fresh Parsley (I used Basil at home, also works very well)
1/2 clove of Garlic
50g Parmesan, grated
270mls Olive Oil
2 tbsps Ricotta
Salt and Pepper

To make the pesto, preheat the oven to 200c, spread the walnuts onto a tray and toast for 6 minutes. Once toasted, place the walnuts with the rest of the ingredients into a blender and whizz until smooth.

For the Filling
2kg Beetroot, cleaned and large stalks removed
500g Ricotta
1/2 tsp freshly ground Nutmeg
Parmesan to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil the beetroot in salted water until a knife slides through easily (approximately 40 minutes). When the beetroot is cooked, drain it and allow it to cool before peeling off and discarding the skin. Mash the beetroot, or chop it finely, and place it in a large bowl. Add the ricotta, nutmeg and parmesan, season generously and mix.

For the Pasta
200g '00' Flour, plus a little extra if necessary
2 medium Free Range Eggs, preferably corn-fed for colour (I used 1 Egg + 3 Egg Yolks at home for a richer flavour)

Pour the flour onto a flat surface or into a bowl and make a well in the centre of the mound. Crack the eggs into the centre of the well. Using a table knife, gradually mix in the egg and flour. When the dough has become like a thick paste, use the fingertips of one hand to incorporate the rest of the flour. Discard any dry little crumbs left over. The dough should be like playdough, pliable but not too sticky. If it is still sticking to the palm of your hand, add a litle more flour.

Lightly flour a clean work surface and start to knead the dough with the heel of one hand, stretching and turning the dough after each knead. Work the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball, cover with cling film and leave it to rest for at least half an hour.

Assembling the Ravioli

Pass the dough through a pasta machine starting from the thickest setting until you reach the thinest (or roll it out with a rolling pin), dusting with flour if it gets too sticky. Measure and cut the pasta in half so you are left with two equal sized lengths of pasta.

Using a teaspoon, place little portions of the beetroot filling along one of the lengths of pasta, leaving approximately 2 inches of space between each one. Using a brush or your finger, dab water on the pasta all around the beetroot filling. Carefully place the second length of pasta over and push down with your fingers around the filling to enclose it. Using a ravioli cutter or knife, cut the pasta into squares.

Place the pasta in salted boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes, until al dente. Drain and toss gently in the walnut pesto or if it looks too fragile spoon the pesto over. Top with grated parmsean and serve imediately.