Swiss Chard Purses With Sausage Stuffing Food

SAUSAGE AND SWISS CHARD PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook sausage and red onion until no longer pink, 3-4 minutes, breaking into crumbles. Add fennel, mushrooms and garlic; cook until tender, 6-8 minutes. Add Swiss chard; cook and stir until wilted, 4-5 minutes longer., Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water. In a large bowl, combine pasta, sausage mixture, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, adding enough reserved pasta water to coat pasta and create a creamy texture. Serve with remaining cheese and pine nuts.

RIGATONI WITH SWISS CHARD AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon; set aside.
• Wipe the Dutch oven clean; add the butter and melt over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chard and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, until combined, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the milk to the chard mixture and bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Stir in the sausage, parmesan, lemon zest and a few grinds of pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Add the pasta to the pot and toss, adding enough of the reserved pasta water to loosen.

SWISS CHARD PURSES WITH SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Make stuffing: Soak bread cubes in milk in a large bowl until softened, 20 to 30 minutes. Squeeze out milk, discarding it, then crumble bread into bowl.
• Wash chopped leeks well in a bowl of cold water, agitating them to loosen any grit, then lift out and transfer to a sieve to drain.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.
• Crumble sausage into skillet and brown, breaking up lumps with a fork, about 3 minutes. Transfer sausage with a slotted spoon to bowl with bread.
• Add 2 tablespoons oil to skillet, then sauté chopped leek, chard stems, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender and just beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Stir vegetables into bread mixture, then cool until warm, about 15 minutes.
• Stir remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper into eggs, then stir eggs into bread mixture.
• Prepare leek ribbons and chard leaves: Wash leek strips, then blanch in a large pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, 2 minutes and transfer with tongs to a bowl of ice and cold water (reserve water in pot).
• Transfer to a colander and drain well, then transfer to paper towels and pat dry.
• Blanch chard leaves in water just until wilted, about 30 seconds, and ransfer with a slotted spoon to ice water to cool.
• Drain chard leaves in colander.
• Make purses: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F Spread 1 chard leaf on a work surface, using smaller leaves to patch any if necessary.
• Chard-leaf wrapper should be about 8 by 5 inches (if it's smaller, overlap several small leaves to form a larger wrapper; don't worry if wrapper is larger than 8 by 5). Mound 1/4 cup stuffing in center, then gather chard up over filling to form a purse and tie closed with a leek strip. (You have extra strips in case some break.)
• Make 19 more purses in same manner.
• Oil a 3-quart gratin or other shallow baking dish. Stand purses upright in dish and drizzle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil.
• Add broth to dish and cover purses with a sheet of wax paper or parchment, then loosely cover with foil.
• Bake purses until stuffing is warmed through and egg is set (cut one open on bottom to check), 35 to 40 minutes.