Cartoon Carrots

Unlike those long, skinny carrots developed by Big Ag to pack and ship well, Bugs Bunny would be happy to munch on these between one liners. Because they look like, well, carrots.

Garden Update: Holy Tomato, Batman

For those of you who thought I was crazy for building 7-foot tomato cages, perhaps I actually made them too short.

The cabbages survived the cabbage worm invasion, which I quelled with a cayenne/garlic spray.

The squash all have vigorous blossoms, which you can't see under the canopy of climbing leaves.

And the tomatoes are going strong, lots of blossoms and no disease. We just need some sunny hot weather to bring out the 'maters.

Swiss Chard Ravioli

Time to make some use of the bountiful greens from the garden. Dinner this night included homemade swiss chard ravioli with lemon-butter sauce, mixed green salad with cherries and pecans, freshly made balsamic vinaigrette, a homemade rustic French boule, and a 2011 bottle of Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel.

Instead of cutting the raviolis by hand, as I have in the past, I used the new (old stock) ravioli maker recently given to me by my sister Marty. I think it's pretty kick-ass. Thanks, Marty. She found it at Goodwill for $2.00, and apparently it was never used. I bears a yellow tag from the old Italian Importing Company on East 5th Street in Down Town Des Moines, now home to one of our favorite East Village restaurants, Tacopocalypse.

The telling thing about this recipe marking its provenance as seventies, besides the gross ingredients of ground pork and veal, is the instruction to boil the ravioli for 15 to 20 minutes.  Best way to achieve that canned Chef Boyardee ravioli mushiness, no doubt.

My dough, which I kneaded for five minutes in the KitchenAid, then five minutes by hand. It is half semolina flour and half 00 finely ground white flour, eggs, olive oil, and water. 

From the garden, one big bunch of heirloom Verde De Taglio Swiss chard (all green, no red), and giant Italian parsley. Sauté in olive oil until wilted and dry in the pan. 

Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, which is in turn finely ground in a food processor.

Combine all filling ingredients: whole milk ricotta, chard and parsley, eggs, Reggiano, and fresh ground nutmeg and black pepper.

Cut dough into quarters to begin rolling-out process.

Make sure dough is wide enough to slightly drape over the sides of the ravioli maker.

Place dough over ravioli maker and then gently press the plastic form into maker to form pockets. It's helpful to dust each piece of the ravioli maker with flour to prevent sticking. This process is made easier with a bottle or two of beer, in this case Bell's delicious and very highly rated Two Hearted Ale (background).

Fill each indent with a heaping teaspoon of filling.

Cover the filled ravioli with another sheet of dough and roll with a rolling pin until cut through.

Pop raviolis out on a towel lightly dusted with flour. All that's left to do is make the sauce and boil the ravioli (for about 4 minutes, not 20!).

Serve everything to your guests, who are by now hungry with anticipation, and grateful that you would spend 5 hours preparing them a meal.

Swiss Chard Ravioli With Lemon Butter Sauce

Ingredients

Dough

3/4 cup semolina flour (I used Bob's Red Mill No. 1 Duram Wheat Semolina Flour)

3/4 cups white flour (I used Napoli Tipo "00")

two eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Filling

1 cup whole milk ricotta

1 large bunch swiss chard

1 or 2 large sprigs of italian parsley, leaves only

1/3-1/2 cup finely ground Parmigiano Reggiano

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper

Sauce #1: Lemon butter sauce

1/4 pond butter

zest from one lemon

juice from one lemon

2-4 tablespoons of pasta water

Sauce #2: Sage brown butter sauce

1/4 pound butter

10 fresh sage leaves

½-1 cup finely ground Parmigiano Reggiano, for sprinkling

Directions

Dough

1. Mix together dough ingredients.

2. Knead for ten minutes.

3. Wrap with plastic and let rest for 30 minutes.

Filling

1. Rinse chard and cut into 1/2 inch ribbons. 

2. Finely chop the parsley.

3. Combine chard and parsley in a pot.

4. Saute in olive oil until chard is wilted Continue cooking until pan is close to dry.

5. Squeeze any excess water from chard and parsley mixture and finely chop.

6. Combine remaining filling ingredients.

Pasta

1. Cut dough into quarters. 

2. Flatten first piece of dough into a 3-inck square. 

3. Run dough through setting 1 of pasta maker. Fold over onto itself and run through again. Repeat five times.

4. Run dough lengthways through pasta maker one time each on settings 2 to 5.

5. Set dough aside on flour dusted towel.

6. Repeat process for remain three quarters.

7. Assemble raviolis using 1 large teaspoon of filling for each one.

8. Bring pot of water to boil and make sauce.

9. Boil ravioli for approximately 4 minutes. 

Lemon butter sauce (light and refreshing)

1. Melt butter in a large sauce pan.

2. Add lemon juice and zest. 

3. Add raviolis and a small amount of pasta water until desired consistency. 

4. Platter up and serve, sprinkle with grated Reggiano.

Sage brown butter sauce (earthy and rich)

1. Melt butter

2. Add sage leaves and cook until butter browns and sage leaves crisp up. Be careful not to burn the butter as it will be bitter.

3. Pour on top of raviolis in platter. Sprinkle with Reggiano and serve.