I LOVE swiss chard. Usually I chop it up, sauté it with butter and a fresh squeeze of lemon and gobble it up just like that. This week, I decided to do something slightly more elevated and elegant. And so here it is: swiss chard and ricotta ravioli! I’m super pleased with the result, and I think you will be too.
One of the great things about this recipe is you can choose your own adventure. You can make the filling and layer it into lasagna, make cannelloni using store-bought lasagna sheets, stuff it into mushrooms, or simply spread on toast. But if you feel like diving in and making fresh pasta, this is an easy and delicious recipe that is super fun to make (I had three happy helpers, but I still think cooking this solo would be enjoyable). The ravioli are superb. As my one friend put it – YUM! As for the process, my other friend (who has never made pasta before) said “the process seemed intimidating but was actually quite approachable!”. So we were all very pleased.
While the pasta dough was resting, I made up garlic scape butter (and then as a bonus made a quick cherry tomato sauce). This butter is great to have on hand for steaks, fish, flatbreads, pasta dishes, and spreading on toast.
I served the ravioli with a bit of melted scape butter on one half, and the cherry tomato sauce on the other. Everyone agreed that they were amazing mixed together (I just had the tomato sauce and was super pleased with just that). The ravioli is surprisingly filling, so although we had made up a big salad as part of the meal, it was barely touched (though will be thoroughly enjoyed tomorrow).
All-in-all this meal is totally worth that extra little bit of effort. I’d say we were all quite proud of our handiwork, and felt quite chuffed (and full!) as we polished it off.
More Magnificent Meal Musings
- Pickled Garlic Scapes
- Pickled Kohlrabi
- Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
- Swiss Chard and Goat Cheese Flatbread
- Cilantro-Lime Chicken Tacos with Kohlrabi Slaw
- Sesame and Scape Snow Pea Sauté
Swiss Chard Ricotta Ravioli
YUM. This recipe is a choose-your-own-adventure kind of thing. If you want to experience the deliciousness of the filling, but don't want to make fresh pasta, you can use lasagna sheets to make cannelloni, or layer the filling into a lasagna. You could also get creative and stuff portabella or cremini mushrooms with the filling, or simply spread on toast! It may seem intimidating, but this recipe comes together very easily, is an absolute joy to make with other people, and a delight to sit and savour. This recipe is adapted from Jennifer Tyler Lee's blog 52newfoods.
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 full bag swiss chard
- 454g ricotta (one full container)
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- sea salt to taste
Pasta Dough
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup water (divided)
Instructions
Make the Filling
-
Begin by making the filling. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Trim stalks from the chard (reserve stalks for future use in other recipes), and toss leaves into the boiling water.
-
Let the chard simmer for about 30-60 seconds until tender, but still bright. Remove from pot with tongs and place in a clean tea towel. Roll tea towel around the chard and twist over the sink to remove water. Squeeze out as much water as possible. Transfer to a cutting board and chop finely (alternatively, you can use a food processor). Add to a large bowl.
-
Add the remaining filling ingredients to the chard and stir well. Set aside.
Make the Pasta Dough (optional)
-
Make the pasta dough (or you can use lasagna sheets to make cannelloni). Put flour on a clean working surface and mound, creating a well in the middle that is wide and shallow. Crack eggs into the well and add oil.
-
Slowly scramble the eggs with a fork and incorporate flour into the eggs. Eventually you can get in there with your hands. Add water one tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together but isn't sticky or wet (I used about 4 Tbsp). Knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap or a beeswax wrap and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes (or up to 2 hours).
Prepare Ravioli
-
Cut the dough ball into quarters and work with one quarter at a time. Pass through a pasta roller* until thin and translucent. Trim edges to create a rectangle. Dollop 1-3tsp of filling about 1 inch apart down the middle of the dough rectangle. Fold the dough in half lengthwise over the filling. Using a pastry roller or pizza cutter, cut the dough between the filling dollops to create separate packets. Gently press air away from the filling and then seal the edges of the ravioli by pressing firmly with your fingers.
-
Once the ravioli has been made, set aside on parchment paper while you roll our the rest of the dough. I found that we had a bit of extra pasta dough that we just saved for another meal.
-
Heat a large pot of salted water. Once boiling, add ravioli** in batches (I did about 10 at a time). Allow to cook for about 2-3 minutes, depending on the size of your ravioli. Once they float to the surface you can test the corner of one – ideally it should be tender but still toothsome.
-
Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
*If you don’t have a pasta roller you can use a rolling pin and roll as thin as possible, ideally until you can see your fingers through the pasta sheet.
**If you want to freeze extras, don’t cook the ravioli you want to save for later. Instead, line them up on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place baking sheet in freezer. Once fully frozen transfer to a freezer bag and keep in the freezer.
Garlic Scape Butter
Simple and delicious. This butter will add a punch of flavour to pasta dishes, steak, fish, and bread. It can be frozen in portions to bring out for later use, or kept in the fridge and consumed within a couple of days.
Ingredients
- 5 garlic scapes
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
Optional:
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- sea salt to taste
- 1 Tbsp green onion stalks, finely chopped
Instructions
-
Soften butter at room temperature and place in bowl.
-
Finely chop the garlic scapes. Add to the butter and mix well with a spoon. You can also add any of the optional add-ins at this point.
-
To freeze for later, roll the butter into a rough log in parchment paper. Wrap well with a layer of plastic wrap or tin foil. Once frozen you can cut portions off as you need.