Rainbow Swiss Chard, Butternut Squash & Hazelnut Ravioli

I am always so excited about making this recipe. What an amazing mix of flavors, colors and texture...the chewiness of the butternut squash, the crunch of the hazelnuts, and the big mouthfuls of swiss chard laced with lemon zest and parmesan. Too good. 

Jason, of course, was in slight withdrawl from the deliciousness because I spent the Saturday and Sunday in Fredericksburg with the girls, drinking and eating the Hill Country. That sounds about right...let's see, 3 wineries (but 4 wine tastings) 3.5 restaurants (if you count the ice-cream shop/sandwich place), and a bar/cafe for morning Marys. Oh, and the Buffalo Nickel for Micheladas. So we have lots to catch up on, and some excellent places to recommend. More on that soon. 

I have some gorgeous farmer's market Rainbow Swiss Chard that I've been waiting to use for just this dish. Last year, my good friend Megan came to Austin with some items from her winter CSA crop, and I believe we were supposed to cook this but forgot. She emailed me the link to the recipe from the 101 Cookbooks website: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/hazelnut-chard-ravioli-salad-recipe.html. 

As always, my (just slightly) modified version below:

 

Ingredients
12 oz. raviolis (I used Central Market package in the  Arugula and Ricotta)
2 cups of butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and cut into small 1/2 in. cubes
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 bunch rainbow Swiss chard, de-veined and cut into 1/2-inch ribbons, (I saved about 1/4 cup of the fuchsia stems from the chard, diced small)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
fine grain sea salt, pepper
1 Tbsp lemon zest

First start the butternut squash. I went and used the entire squash so I would have leftovers for salads and soups for the rest of the week. If you choose to cook the entire squash now, cook in 2 batches. You only need 2 cups of these for this recipe.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add the butternut squash and toss so they are coated with the oil. Sprinkle with the salt. Now cover the skillet and let the squash cook through, this will take about three minutes. The water in the squash will help steam and soften them. When the squash is just cooked through (not mushy or falling apart), remove the lid and give them a good toss. Turn up the heat to medium-high and stir every minute or so until golden and crisp on the outside. I put these in the oven at 200 degrees, just to keep warm while I'm cooking everything else. Oh, and this is the part that I wrapped the hazelnuts in foil, sprinkled with salt, and put them in the oven too, to get nice and toasty.

Put a large pot of water on high heat to cook the ravioli. In another burner, heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet, add the onions, shallots with a pinch of salt.

Side Note: This is where I added the fuchsia stems of the Swiss chard for a shock of color with the onions and the shallots. If you use regular chard and not rainbow, I would skip this part, as it is mainly aesthetic and doesn't really affect the taste. If you did get the rainbow, it turns pink!

Doesn't it look like little hot pink flowers? I'm totally swooning. Back to the carmelizing...cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften and turn deeper in color.

Water in the pot should be at a rolling boil now, generously salt and add the raviolis. My Central Market version only took 5 minutes to cook, so I just fished them out of the pot with a slotted spoon and added them to the skillet with onions, shallots and stems. Stir to combine, add the the chard. Wait until the chard begins to wilt, then stir in most of the cheese and most of the hazelnuts. (Save 1/2 cup of pasta water to add if necessary, but only if necessary, and not all at once. Start with 1 Tbsp at a time after - you don't want it to get watery, just a bit moist.) Gently fold in the butternut squash and lemon zest. Remove from heat. Garnish with remaining hazelnuts and grated parmesan.

Listening To: The Brazilian Girls, Me Gusta Cuando Callas