Cheese Ravioli with Swiss Chard, Butternut Squash and Fried Sage

Serves 6

I experimented with different types of cheeses for these ravioli including goat cheese, Parmesan and ricotta and combinations of various cheeses. I wasn't going to serve these with a marinara so I was looking for a cheese filling that would stand out on its own. This is the combination I preferred and the Romano cheese is the important factor. It adds a stronger and tangier element that Parmesan alone does not have. I also like cottage cheese in the mix because it is creamier than the ricotta. Not as traditional, I know, but hey, I'm German not Italian. This recipe uses wonton wrappers. I don't often cheat - but these work so well and they are not nearly as fussy to handle as homemade pasta. If you are feeling inspired, by all means make your own pasta. Many of the steps can be done ahead so you can pull this off easily at serving time. Make it your own by adding or deleting ingredients. That's what I did!

1/2 cup small curd cottage cheese
1/4 cup Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Romano cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
6 small sage leaves (optional, but helps it relate to fried sage garnish)

1. Put all ingredients plus freshly ground black pepper into bowl of food processor and process until smoothe.

For Swiss Chard:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch trimmed Swiss Chard (you could substitute spinach or other green such as Kale)
1 small shallot, minced, about 3 tablespoons
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Warm oil in nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Add chard and cook about 3 minutes or until leaves are wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

For Butternut squash:

1 Butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1/4 inch cubes
Olive oil
Salt

1. Toss squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast in oven for 20 minutes or until tender. May also cook in skillet with a small amount of water until tender. Set aside.

For Fried Sage:

Wash and dry leaves of sage. Heat olive oil until very hot but not smoking. Add a few leaves to oil and remove when sizzling stops. These keep crisp for a long time. I even froze some and they were still crispy. The flavor is mellowed by the cooking and they are delicious.

For Browned butter:

Place 1 stick of butter cut into slices into skillet. Heat over medium heat until butter melts and cook until dark brown and nutty smelling. Watch carefully as the point being browning and burning is close. This will be more than you need, but it is so good, you will want to put it on your vegetables, steaks, pastas, etc.

Assembly:

1. Lay out wonton wrappers on parchment paper. Working with one wonton at a time, spoon 2 teaspoons of cheese mixture into center of wrapper. Dip your fingertip into water and wet edges of wrapper.
2. Lay another wrapper over mound of filling, and press gently to seal edges. Repeat with remaining wrapper and filling. (At this point you can cover ravioli with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to one day or freeze them on tray and then place into zip-lock bags)
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Drop ravioli into water, gently stirring to prevent sticking. Cook about 5 minutes. They are done when they float. Remove with a slotted spoon.
4. Arrange 6 ravioli in each of 6 shallow bowls. Drizzle with browned butter, store bought pesto, top with warmed swiss chard and warmed butternut squash, sprinkle with additional Romano cheese and crumbled fried sage. Beautiful and healthy.