Creamy Fresh Pasta with Chard and Serrano Ham
Pasta with chard evokes wonderful memories for us. We usually use dried pasta, but this creamy, vegetable filled sauce is worthy of the effort required for homemade pasta. Despite being quick and easy (we don't even use a sauté pan), it is rich and tasty. It is creamy from a soft garlic and herb cheese, sharp and salty from the Serrano ham and Pecorino romano, and spicy from the crushed red pepper flakes. On top of all that, it is quite healthy from the garlic and chard! Originally served as part of: A Family Effort (Except the Baby).
Ingredients
- ½ batch fettuccine, with extra egg yolk in dough homemade pasta
- 2 cloves garlic (peeled, sliced thin)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 9 ounces mixed, baby, with thin stems chard (gently packed, washed and spun dry)
- salt & pepper
- 2 slices Serrano ham
- ¼ block garlic and herb, soft cheese (Boursin)
- red pepper flakes
- Pecorino romano cheese (Locatelli) (freshly grated)
Instructions
We start by filling our large pasta pot with water, covering, and heating it over medium heat.
In a large, microwaveable, bowl, we combine the sliced garlic and oil, microwaving for 30 seconds. At that point, garlic flavor is beginning to infuse into the oil.
On our cutting board, we coarsely chop the chard, a large handful at a time, and add it to the bowl of garlic and oil. We have about 6 cups of chard.
We cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and microwave for 2 minutes. The slightly wilted chard is mixed with the garlic and oil, and the bowl is re-covered. We microwave for another 2 minutes. We taste for tenderness, and add some salt and pepper. The bowl is set aside, covered, while we wait for the pasta.
Once the water has come to a boil, we add the pasta and a large pinch of salt to the boiling water and stir. We cook the pasta for just a few minutes until it is "just" tender.
Meanwhile, the ham is cut into small strips with scissors, put on a small plate, and set on the table.
Before draining the tender pasta, we remove ¼ cup of pasta cooking water to be added to the sauce.
We drain the fettuccine in a colander, then return it to the pot. We put the pot back on the hot burner and turn the burner off. The Boursin is crumbled in. We stir with tongs, add the reserved pasta cooking water, and serve topped with the garlic chard, hot pepper flakes, freshly grated Locatelli, and Serrano ham.
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic (peeled and thinly sliced)
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 9 oz mixed baby chard (washed and spun dry)
- salt and pepper
- ½ batch homemade fettuccine (with an extra egg yolk)
- 2 slices Serrano ham
- ¼ block soft garlic and herb cheese (Boursin)
- red pepper flakes
- Pecorino Romano (Locatelli) (freshly grated)
Instructions
What's a kid job?
A Kid job is a step kids can help with, with a grown-up nearby, not one they do on their own. Every kid is different, so go by what your child can do rather than by age. Roughly:
- Little ones (about 2 to 4) can stir, pour in ingredients a grown-up has measured, tear lettuce, wash vegetables and sprinkle toppings.
- Older kids (about 5 to 8) can also measure and level, crack eggs, whisk, roll and cut out dough, and put things together.
- Bigger kids can read the recipe aloud, keep track of the timer, and take on more of the cooking as they're ready.
Steps with a knife, microplane, skewers, stove, oven, grill or hot oil, or with raw meat, poultry or seafood, are marked Grown-up. Kids can still watch those, from a safe distance.
Fill a large pasta pot with water, cover, and heat over medium heat.
Microwave the garlic and oil in a large bowl 30 seconds.
Coarsely chop the chard a handful at a time and add it to the bowl (about 6 cups). Cover and microwave 2 minutes, stir, and microwave 2 minutes more. Taste, season, and keep covered.
When the water boils, add the pasta and a big pinch of salt and cook just a few minutes, until tender. Save ¼ cup of the pasta water.
Kid job
Meanwhile, snip the ham into strips with scissors and put it on the table.
Drain the pasta, return it to the pot on the hot burner, and turn the burner off. Crumble in the cheese and toss with tongs, adding the pasta water. Serve topped with the chard, pepper flakes, Romano and ham.