Moroccan Carrot Ravioli with Harissa and Preserved Lemon

This week's box contained:

• French Tarragon (traded for more chard)
• Gold Beets
• Costata Romanesco Summer Squash
• Strawberries
• Chard
• Mixed Cherry and Saladette Tomatoes
• Carrots
• Spinach

Lots to love here, though we are buried in carrots and summer squash.  As a result, I did a healthy amount of Googling, finding quite a few interesting recipes.  The beets will be roasted, tossed with cider vinegar and salt, and eaten straight-up.  I found a couple of recipes I plan to try with the squash and spinach:

• Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake
• Spinach and Zucchini Soup

The strawberries will be frozen for smoothies and the chard made into Chard and Ricotta Ravioli with White Wine Butter.  The tomatoes will be made into Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta for a nice lunch in the California sunshine.

For the carrots, I found the most amazing fusion recipe: Moroccan Carrot Ravioli with Lemon Zest and Harissa on Food Bridge.  In reading the full post, I decided to make a few changes, noted in my adaption below.

Moroccan Carrot Ravioli with Harissa and Preserved Lemon

Pasta

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons water, adding more as needed to reach the desired dough consistency
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons harissa

Combine the flour and salt in the food processor; pulse a few times. Whisk the eggs, water, olive oil, and harissa together in a small bowl. While pulsing the machine pour this mixture in a continuous stream and continue running the machine until the dough begins, to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Form into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.

Filling

6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into disks
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons preserved lemon peel

Preheat the oven to 425°. Toss the carrots with the olive oil and season with salt. Cover with foil and bake until tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a food processor, combine roasted carrots, ground cumin, and harissa; process until smooth.  Stir in egg yolk refrigerate until ready to fill the raviolis.  Can be made 1-2 days in advance.

Sauce

1/3 c olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic, chopped very fine
generous pinch of aleppo pepper
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Combine the olive oil, garlic, and aleppo pepper in a small saucepan. Turn on heat to medium low and allow to cook until the garlic turns a pale gold; do not allow to brown.

Assembly

A demonstration of how to roll the dough and fill the ravioli can be found here.  At a high level:

1. Knead the dough at the widest setting on your pasta machine.
2. Flour the dough and run through the machine at progressively smaller settings.  Stop when you reach the desired thickness; thinner is better.
3. Brush the dough well with an egg wash.
4. Using a pastry bag or a small spoon, drop the filling down the center of the sheet of pasta, spaced several inches apart; roughly one scant tablespoon filling per drop.
5. Fold the dough over the filling, aligning the long edges with one another.
6. Using your hands, press between the drops of filling, pressing as much air out of the ravioli as possible.
7. For half-moon shaped ravioli, use a round cookie cutter, cut the ravioli and place on a floured baking sheet, making sure the edges are well closed.
8. Refrigerate till ready to cook.  Ravioli can be frozen for up to one month.

Bring a pot of water to boil, add a handful of salt, and boil the ravioli for 2-3 minutes.  Drain, toss with the prepared sauce, and top with chopped cilantro.  Enjoy!

Adapted from Moroccan Carrot Ravioli with Lemon Zest and Harissa on Food Bridge