recipes by Anna Casale and Richard Olney that I came up with many years ago. With chard, fresh sage, and 2 kinds of parsley, it's really nice for spring.
Green Pasta:
1 lb. Swiss chard or spinach (Chard is easier to handle and makes greener pasta) or a 10-oz. package of frozen spinach, defrosted
1/2 cup beaten egg (2 jumbo)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. olive oil
12 oz. semolina or unbleached flour, or a combination of the two.
1 to 2 Tbs. warm water, if needed
Olive oil for coating
Stem the chard or spinach, wash the leaves well, then blanch them in boiling water just until tender. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain again. Squeeze out excess moisture with your hands, then wrap the greens in a towel and twist to extract as much moisture as possible. (Frozen spinach does not need cooking; just squeeze it dry.)
Put the greens into a processor and chop. Add the eggs, salt, and olive oil and process until well pureed. Add the semolina and/or flour and run the machine 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and process another minute. The dough should form a ball; if it doesn't, add warm water a tablespoon at a time until it does.
Oil a small bowl, add the ball of dough and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at least 1 hour before rolling out.
Filling:
8 oz. ricotta cheese
4 Tbs. butter, softened
2 beaten eggs
Salt and white pepper to taste
8-10 large fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped curly parsley
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs.
Mash the cheese with the butter until well blended. Add everything else and taste carefully. It should be very well seasoned.
Making the ravioli:
Divide the rested dough into six pieces. Roll one piece in a pasta roller, keeping the strip of dough the width of the roller, until very thin (setting #6 on my KA attachment). If the strip becomes too long for your work surface, cut it in half. Lay the strip(s) out on a floured surface and place teaspoon-sized mounds of filling in a row along the bottom half, 2-1/2 inches apart. Lightly brush around each mound with water, then fold the upper half of the strip over the filled half. Press around the filling with your fingertips to remove air and seal the dough. Cut into squares with a ravioli cutter or knife. Lift onto a floured towel set on a cookie sheet. Let dry a bit before cooking, turning them once or twice.
(This recipe will make about 60 ravioli, though you could halve the filling and make noodles with the remaining dough. Freeze ravioli in a single layer on a tray, then seal in a plastic bag. They go right from the bag into boiling water without defrosting.)
Cooking and serving:
Melted butter
Chopped Italian parsley
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. Add about 18 ravioli, bring the water back to a boil, then turn it down to a gentle simmer. Cook until tender, about 8 minutes (Cut a little corner off one and taste to check firmness) Lift out with a skimmer and toss on a platter with a some of the butter. Keep warm while cooking remaining ravioli.
Serve tossed with butter, and sprinkled with the Italian parsley and Parmesan cheese. A fried sage leaf makes a nice garnish.
Green Pasta:
1 lb. Swiss chard or spinach (Chard is easier to handle and makes greener pasta) or a 10-oz. package of frozen spinach, defrosted
1/2 cup beaten egg (2 jumbo)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. olive oil
12 oz. semolina or unbleached flour, or a combination of the two.
1 to 2 Tbs. warm water, if needed
Olive oil for coating
Stem the chard or spinach, wash the leaves well, then blanch them in boiling water just until tender. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain again. Squeeze out excess moisture with your hands, then wrap the greens in a towel and twist to extract as much moisture as possible. (Frozen spinach does not need cooking; just squeeze it dry.)
Put the greens into a processor and chop. Add the eggs, salt, and olive oil and process until well pureed. Add the semolina and/or flour and run the machine 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and process another minute. The dough should form a ball; if it doesn't, add warm water a tablespoon at a time until it does.
Oil a small bowl, add the ball of dough and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at least 1 hour before rolling out.
Filling:
8 oz. ricotta cheese
4 Tbs. butter, softened
2 beaten eggs
Salt and white pepper to taste
8-10 large fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped curly parsley
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs.
Mash the cheese with the butter until well blended. Add everything else and taste carefully. It should be very well seasoned.
Making the ravioli:
Divide the rested dough into six pieces. Roll one piece in a pasta roller, keeping the strip of dough the width of the roller, until very thin (setting #6 on my KA attachment). If the strip becomes too long for your work surface, cut it in half. Lay the strip(s) out on a floured surface and place teaspoon-sized mounds of filling in a row along the bottom half, 2-1/2 inches apart. Lightly brush around each mound with water, then fold the upper half of the strip over the filled half. Press around the filling with your fingertips to remove air and seal the dough. Cut into squares with a ravioli cutter or knife. Lift onto a floured towel set on a cookie sheet. Let dry a bit before cooking, turning them once or twice.
(This recipe will make about 60 ravioli, though you could halve the filling and make noodles with the remaining dough. Freeze ravioli in a single layer on a tray, then seal in a plastic bag. They go right from the bag into boiling water without defrosting.)
Cooking and serving:
Melted butter
Chopped Italian parsley
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. Add about 18 ravioli, bring the water back to a boil, then turn it down to a gentle simmer. Cook until tender, about 8 minutes (Cut a little corner off one and taste to check firmness) Lift out with a skimmer and toss on a platter with a some of the butter. Keep warm while cooking remaining ravioli.
Serve tossed with butter, and sprinkled with the Italian parsley and Parmesan cheese. A fried sage leaf makes a nice garnish.