Dandelion Filled Beet Ravioli

We made ravioli out of the ingredients from this week's box. This was no ordinary pasta night at the farm, so don't think we're the idyllic DYI farm house making homemade pasta every night. We're not. It was time consuming, but totally fun and we used up 1/2 the ingredients from the CSA in one go. Here's what we used: Beets (for the pasta), Dandelion Greens, Fennel, Leeks, Chard (for the filling), Parsley (for the sauce). If you make the dough and the filling a few hours ahead then the main work of rolling out the pasta and making the ravioli happens just before dinner.

Ingredients For the Filling

2 Tbsp Olive oil or butter

Dandelion Greens, 1 bunch chopped

Chard, 1 bunch chopped

Fennel, 1 bulb finely chopped

Leeks, 1 or 2 finely diced

Cheese of your choice (blue or gorgonzola goes nicely with the bitter greens)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

(Prepare the filling ahead and let it cool)

Sauté the leeks and fennel in the butter or oil on medium- low heat to caramelize. (you could add a dash of white wine or balsamic reduction)

Add the chopped greens and cook until softened. The longer you cook your dandelion, the less bitter.

Mix the sautéed veggies with the cheese (we used a food processor) and salt and pepper to taste.

For the Pasta

(make ahead, it will need to rest for 2 hours)

Beets (1/2 cup, 2-3 beets)

2 tsp olive oil

2 large eggs

1 egg yolk

2 1/2 c. all purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Salt

Semolina flour, for storage

Boil the beets until soft, drain, peel and purée

Add eggs and yolk to purée and process until combined. Add flour and 1 heaping tsp salt and process only until dough comes together (20 secs)

Transfer to a well floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (5-10 minutes). Your dough should not be sticky, if it is add more flour.

Wrap the dough in plastic and let rest for 1-2 hours.

Rolling out the Pasta:

Cut dough into 8 pieces and flatten into an oblong shape slightly thinner than the pasta machine's widest setting (number 1). You can roll out Ravioli without a machine but we were having fun with our gadgets. Feed through the machine once. Fold into thirds and rotate 90 degrees. Repeat twice on same setting to smooth dough and increase it's elasticity.

Turn the dial to next smaller setting. Pass dough through twice, supporting it with your palm. Pass dough twice through finer settings until desired thickness (for us it was #7). You want the dough to be almost translucent and thin without falling apart. Dust with flour if it gets sticky. Flour is your friend. Use a dry brush to dust off the flour at the end.

Get your largest pot of water boiling now.

Cutting and filling the ravioli:

There are a lot of ways to cut your ravioli. Lay the rolled pasta on a cutting board and cut into desired shape. One way is to lay the rectangular strips down and dot the filling onto the dough evenly spaces. Place the next strip over the top, slice into square and crimp the edges firmly with the tines of a fork. Or you could cut small rectangles and fill each ravioli one by one.

Boil the ravioli in batches. The pasta should sink and then float to the surface when they are ready.

For the sauce:

I made a bechamel sauce of- cream, butter, flour to thicken, nutmeg, pinch of finely chopped rosemary and parsley, salt to taste. (you could also use grated parmesan or gruyere- think fancy mac and cheese)

Garnish the ravioli with parsley, take lots of photos to post on facebook.

Gloat immediately, and serve.

Celery and Fennel Salad with Preserved Lemons

Celery and Fennel? It's a bit redundant. When I don't have celery, I substitute fennel and vice versa. You may not find big romance with these two veggies, but they make good domestic partners. They like long waits in the vegetable drawer and spending quality time with their friends, citrus and parsley.

(Based on a recipe from Sunset Magazine)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup chopped preserved lemon rind

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup extra- virgin olive oil

Sea salt and pepper

1 large bunch celery, leaves trimmed and tough outer fibers stirpped

2 fennel bulbs, stalks and fronds discarded

1 cup Medjool dates

1 cup loosely packed parsley leaves

1. Stir together preserved lemon rind, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and the oil in a small bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice if needed.

2. Slice celery stalks very thinly on the diagonal. Cut fennel bulbs in half lengthwise; cut out and discard cores. Thinly slice crosswise. Pit dates and cut into slivers. Combine with celery, fennel, and parsley in a large bowl.

3. Add dressing and toss to coat.

Here's another recipe, with citrus and parmesan.

Celery and Fennel Salad from New York Time's author, Mark Bittman

Farro Salad with Arugula, Fig and Goat Cheese

Emmer Wheat is an old world grain. It was one of the first crops domesticated in the near east and is commonly known as Farro in Italy. Now it is grown in the mountainous regions of Europe. I first came across it in a small mountain town in Washington where it is grown by Bluebird Grain Farms. You can find USA grown farro by clicking on the link.

Here is a recipe I used to make often when I worked as a cook in Washington and grew my own garden.

Ingredients:

1 cup Farro wheat

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice

2 Tbsp Meyer lemon zest

1/2 tsp pepper

1 bunch chopped arugula

1/2 cup parsley leaves

1/2 cup crumbled goat chevre or sheep's milk feta

2/3 cup sliced dried figs

Bring 4 cups salted water to a boil and stir in Farro wheat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook farro until just tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and let cool.

Whisk oil, lemon juice and zest, pepper, arugula and parsley together in a medium bowl. Stir in Farro and delicately combine cheese and figs with minimal stirring.

Refrigerate and serve cool.

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