Crop Sheet: Greens and Ricotta Pasta Sauce

So, I ran into some lovely farm members at the drop site last week.  Someone asked me if we need to wash our vegetables when we get them home from the farm.  The answer is yes.  Our veggies are a little wet because they’ve been sprinkled with water to help them stay hydrated and fresh, not because they’ve been  washed.  The only exception is that our salad greens HAVE been washed carefully out on the farm, but it’s still always a good idea to give them a good rinse anyway.  A salad spinner is a decent addition to the kitchen that can easily be found a thrift store for a few bucks.  I throw my salad greens in the spinner, rinse them, spin the water out and dump it and just store the greens right in the spinner in the refrigerator for the week.

This week’s recipe takes good use of all of those greens we’ve been getting.  It’s adapted from the link over here.  It, in turn, was adapted from a recipe that was adapted from a Moosewood recipe.  Phew!  The basics are all the same with little twists to make it our own along the way.  This is going to be a new stand-by in my house.  I made up a TON using all of the chard and spinach from last week’s farm share and when it was cool, froze it in 1-2 cup servings in ziplocks for future use in lasagna or on pasta or as a vital green addition to a soup someday.  But, oh, it sure is tasty on it’s own with just pasta and some Parmesan or Romano grated on top.  Yum!

Greens and Ricotta Pasta Sauce

Serves 4
1bunch Swiss chard chopped, stalks chopped separately
1 bunch spinach stripped from the stems and chopped
any other greens you might have around or some parsley etc.
2 garlic cloves or more to taste, minced or pressed
1/2 a small onion chopped if you’re inclined
2 Tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh grated nutmeg adds a really great taste, so if you have some, use that)
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup roasted walnuts (other versions use pinenuts, hazelnuts or pecans)

Pasta:  penne, bowties or any of those middle sized pastas would work really well here.

Optional:
Cheese:  Romano or Parmesan or other hard white cheese to grate on top.
Chopped tomatoes to top off your pasta

Bring water to a boil for the pasta.

While the water is getting hot, wash and rinse the greens. Chop leaves into shreds and chard stalks into 1 inch or so chunks. Saute the garlic, onion and chard stalks in the olive oil for a few minutes. Make sure it doesn’t burn.  Add the damp greens and stir until just wilted but still bright green. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. In a blender or food processor, puree with cooked greens with the ricotta until smooth. Add a few extra teaspoons of olive oil if needed to smooth out the sauce. Add more salt if needed to bring out the flavors of the greens.

Cook pasta according to directions for al dente (you don’t want it too mushy with a creamy sauce). Toss drained pasta with the sauce. Serve with chopped roasted nuts and plenty of fresh cracked pepper.  Serve with optional cheese and tomatoes on the side.