SWISS CHARD RAVIOLI
"The secret to this dish is wonton wrappers. Available at most Asian food stores, these prepared squares of dough are used instead of pasta. The Swiss chard and ricotta filling are spooned onto each wrapper, then boiled in savory broth."
3/4 pound ruby chard, washed and dried
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium shallot, minced (or 3 green onions, chopped)
6 sprigs fresh thyme
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
6 tablespoons ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
24 won-ton wrappers (3 1/2-inch square)*
1 egg, lightly beaten
TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Separate stems of chard from leaves. Dice stems and coarsely chop leaves. There should be about 3 cups of packed leaves.
Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 30 seconds. Add chard leaves, 3/4 teaspoon thyme leaves, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until completely wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, and refrigerate until cool, about 5 minutes.
Sir in ricotta, Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste.
Combine stock, 1 sprig thyme, and chard stems in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Allow to sit until the liquid is dark pink, 5 to 10 minutes. Strain through a sieve, season with salt and pepper, and reserve.
TO MAKE THE RAVIOLI:
Lay 12 wonton wrappers on a clean work surface. Place a slightly heaping tablespoon of filling in center of each wrapper. Brush edges with beaten egg. Top each square with a second wrapper. Press edges together to seal.
Cook ravioli in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water until translucent and floating, about 1 to 2 minutes. (Work in batches if necessary.) Remove from water with a slotted spoon.
TO SERVE:
Ladle about 1/4 cup broth into each of four shallow bowls. Place 3 ravioli in each bowl. Garnish with remaining thyme leaves.
*This recipe will not use an entire package of wrappers as each package contains about 100 wrappers. Remaining wrappers can be frozen. Simply wrap well in plastic, and freeze. If desired, they can be broken down into small batches, for example for the amount needed for a recipe.
Source: Martha Stewart Living Television, 2000 |