Swiss chard cream sauce with pumpkin tortellini
This time of year, I'm literally knee-deep in red swiss chard. Our garden is massively over-producing swiss chard, beets, and carrots, and I'm stretching the limits of what I can cook with these tasty veggies. One thing I've discovered is that swiss chard is positively delicious as a creamy pasta sauce. I found fresh, locally-made pumpkin tortellini at our local co-op, and recently paired the two for a positively yum-tastic dinner.
I chopped and rinsed the swiss chard, being sure to get all the dirt clods and pesky bugs off of the leaves. I've gotten so much more anal about cleaning veggies since we got the garden, since there is legitimate dirt on everything we pull. I've invested in a vegetable brush, and I spend all kinds of time at the sink, scrubbing away at beets, carrots, and chard.
Since I was using a store-bought pasta, this preparation was easiest. I simply brought a small saucepan of salted water to a boil, tossed in the tortellini, and drained the pot once the pasta had risen to the top of the boiling water. This only took a few minutes, since I was dealing with fresh tortellini, but even with dried pasta this will only take 10 minutes or so.
In a large, shallow saucepan, I sauteed a diced white onion in one stick of butter (hey, my cookware is made by Paula Deen, so why not cook like her too?). Then I added a loose handful of flower to make a light roux. After this, I added about two cups of whole milk (with this step, you could use half & half, whole milk, or even 2%, though milk with less fat content will be much thinner than cream) and reduced it by about half. At that point, I added the chopped, rinsed bunch of swiss chard, stirring and turning constantly until it softened. The sauce is done, and can now be added to the cooked, rinsed tortellini. I'd recommend sprinkling a bit of parmesan or asiago cheese to the dish just before serving, and add a heel or slice of crusty bread to the mix, too. Enjoy!
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