Prosciutto di San Daniele and Kale Ravioli with Chicken and Apple

There are lovely, tender kale leaves in the garden right now....Or should I say, there were lovely, tender kale leaves (It will grow back).   I have been just waiting for the leaves to get big enough, so this dish could be created.  You can easily buy kale in the produce section, as well.  Ravioli with Prosciutto di San Daniele and kale, what a wonderful way to eat your greens!

                                                  

My Prosciutto di San Daniele and kale ravioli is paired with chicken and apple.  A good way to usher in the changing seasons!  The ravioli can be served in many ways, with a plethora of sauces.  Here you see that it was boiled, drained, lightly toasted in the pan with some olive oil and served with a cream sauce and sprinkled with cheese.

Ingredient List:

Dough:

200 grams  (7 ounces) flour
Handful of semolina
2 eggs
water
Pinch of salt

Filling:

1/2 lb. Prosciutto di San Daniele (buy in a chunk and small dice)
1 bunch kale (Remove the tough veins, blanche and shock, cool, remove all water and rough chop)
1/4 cup small diced apple
1/2 lb. ground chicken
Handful of bread crumbs (I used panko)
A few pinches of nutmeg
Salt and pepper

Makes 40 ravioli

                                      

For the dough start with the flour, add a handful of semolina and a pinch of salt.  Add the eggs and a tablespoon of water.  Start mixing with a paddle attachment on the mixer, keep adding water slowly by the tablespoon until the dough comes together in a ball.  Then, change the attachment to a dough hook.  Mix until smooth.  Wrap with cling film and refrigerate while you make the filling.

For the filling start by putting the chicken in a food processor with the bread crumbs and a few ice cubes.  Process to a fine paste-like consistency and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  You can do small fry tests to get the seasoning just right, adjust accordingly.  In a bowl fold in and mix the chicken with the rest of the filling ingredients.   

                                       

                                       To assemble the ravioli divide the dough into four equal pieces.  Roll out the dough pieces one by one with a pasta machine.  Flour a board and lay out the first rolled section of dough.  Trim the ends and cut evenly in half.  One section will be the bottom, where you place heaping teaspoons of filling evenly along the strip of dough, ten spoonfuls total.  Brush egg wash all around the filling and carefully place the top section of dough on top.
  
                                       
Work the dough with your fingers and seal the edges, trying to get the air pockets out.  Using a pizza cutter, cut the edges and press the edges together again to adjust the seal.  Place on a flat surface that has been generously floured.  Repeat until the dough and filling are used up.  Boil a big pot of water.  One batch at a time, boil the ravioli until they float to the top and drain (skip this part, if you want to make toasted ravioli in a deep fryer).  Let the ravioli dry out a bit.

Heat a skillet up with some olive oil and lightly toast the ravioli.  Serve with a sauce of your choice!  This would be very fine with brown butter poured over it.

Here you can see all the Prosciutto di San Daniele shining in the filling!

                                                   

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"Eat your greens!"  - Mom