Greens The Cookbook By Deborah Madison and Ed Brown
Serves 4 to 6
I was hoping to make this last night but with Crepes rather than Cannelloni. I think either way it is going to be delicious. If you go with cannelloni you can buy fresh lasagne pasta sheets or make your own egg noodle recipe. You can also stuff big pasta shells.
For the Filling:
3 lbs mixed Greens, I am using a combo of Mustard and Spinach
2 cups Ricotta
1/2 cup each grated Parmesan and Romano OR 1 cup Parmesan
3 stalks Spring Garlic, finely chopped
4 TB Parsley, chopped
4 Eggs
Zest and Juice from 1 Lemon
Nutmeg
Salt
Pepper
Bring a large pot of water to boil for the greens. Cut the leaves away from the thick center stems and wash them well. Save the chard stems to cook separately or for soup stock. If using a mixture of greens, cook them separately – some will take longer than others. When the water comes to a boil, add salt, and cook the greens until they are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Scoop them out and set them in a colander. Press out as much moisture as possible with your hands or the back of a wooden spoon. Then set the greens on a cutting board and chop them finely. Combine them with the ricotta, grated cheeses, garlic, parsley, eggs, and lemon peel, and mix well. Season to taste with a few scrapings of nutmeg, salt, freshly ground pepper, and lemon juice – make the seasoning lively and bright. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and generously butter one 9-by-13-inch rectangular baking dish. If you are stuffing shells, follow the cooking directions on the package. If you are making crepes or cannelloni, then place one in the baking dish, add filling along one side and carefully roll. Continue until all the filling is used. Cover with 1/2 the sauce and bake for 20 minutes. Before plating, you can scoop a little sauce on the dish and then place a serving on top with a little extra parmesan and chopped parsley.
For the Walnut Sauce:
1/2 cup fresh Walnuts, chopped very fine
3 cups Milk
2 cloves Garlic, peeled and smashed with the flat side of a knife
2 small Bay Leaves
1 1/2 TB Butter
1 1/2 TB Flour
Salt
White Pepper
Nutmeg
Slowly warm the milk with the walnuts, garlic and bay leaves. When the milk is near boiling, turn off the heat, and set it aside for the flavor to steep. Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour to make a roux. Gently cook it for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until it is lightly colored. Remove the bay leaves and the garlic cloves from the milk and then add the milk all at once to the roux, and stir with a whisk. Season to taste with salt, freshly ground white pepper and a scraping of nutmeg. Slowly simmer the sauce, stirring frequently for about 25 minutes. Makes 3 cups.