Pasta With Swiss Chard Pesto
From the Pasta Treasure Trove
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Pasta With Swiss Chard Pesto
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Pasta With Swiss Chard Pesto
4 servings
Pesto can refer to any type of sauce where the ingredients are bashed and mashed together (or thrown in a blender, the way they are here). Pesto alla Genovese may be the one that rose to fame, but that doesn’t mean that all pestos need to include basil, or even that they are by definition raw, herb-based sauces. For this pesto, I used Swiss chard stems and leaves; the greens are similar in flavor to spinach, and the stems are delicious. Quickly blanching it makes it creamy when blended and sweetens its slightly tannic flavor. The store-bought shallots add some needed crunch at the end; toasted chopped walnuts or almonds would be great, too.
Ingredients
1 bunch Swiss chard
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
Kosher salt; freshly ground pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
1 pound rigatoni or other tube-shaped pasta
2 cups basil leaves, lightly packed
½ cup finely grated Parmigiano, plus more for serving
1 lemon
1 cup fresh ricotta, divided, for serving
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
Cut the chard leaves from the stems, then cut or tear leaves into 2-inch pieces. Thinly slice the chard stems crosswise.
Heat the olive oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven or other heavy pot with a lid over medium heat. Add the chard stems, garlic, and shallots and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 2 minutes. Season with crushed pepper, then lower the heat, cover the pot, and cook until vegetables are extremely soft and starting to caramelize, 12-14 minutes (check and stir every few minutes).
In the meantime, wash and drain the chard leaves. When the water reaches a boil, cook greens until they are bright green and tender, about 30 seconds. Transfer them directly to the garlic-shallot mixture and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and set aside. Bring the water back to a boil.
Add the pasta to the water and cook until very al dente, 2 to 3 minutes less than package instructions. Transfer the Swiss chard mixture to a food processor; add the basil and Parm. Finely grate the lemon directly into the processor bowl. Pulse until the pesto is roughly chopped. Taste and adjust seasoning. Return the pesto to the same Dutch oven.
Scoop out 1 cup pasta water and pour it into the pesto, stir to loosen. Drain pasta and add to pesto. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze in the juice. Cook the pasta over low heat, tossing energetically and adding more pasta water as needed, until the pesto is coating the spaghetti in a silky and saucy way.
Serve pasta topped with a big spoonful of ricotta, flaky salt, and a generous sprinkle of fried shallots. Pass Parm and crushed pepper at the table.
From the Market
Swiss chard
Rigatoni
Basil leaves
Fresh ricotta
Flaky salt
Fried shallots
Spin It
Mature spinach can replace the chard; use a stalk of celery or extra shallots to make up for the missing chard stems
Any tube-shaped pasta with a ride will work, such as penne rigate or campanelle
A dollop of creme fraiche or Greek yogurt can replace the ricotta
If you don’t have flaky salt, use kosher
Prepared fried onions or toasted chopped walnuts, almonds, or pecans can fill in for the shallots
At Home
Olive oil
Garlic
Shallots
Salt and pepper
Crushed red pepper
Parm
Lemon
Spin It
Use half a yellow or red onion for the shallot
Grana padano can replace the Parm
Oh my gosh, the lemon really took it over the top. Thank you!