Healthy cooking with the season's best veggies

Chicken Stock
Makes about 5 cups

4 pounds chicken legs, wings, and backs
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
2 leeks, white part trimmed and chopped
3 to 4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme

Place the chicken in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat.  Drain the chicken and rinse out the pot.  Return the chicken to the pot, cover with fresh water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium and gently simmer the stock, skimming as necessary, until the stock tastes like chicken, about 2-1/2 hours. 

Add the onion, carrot, celery, and leeks.  Simmer for 30 minutes, then add the parsley and thyme.  Simmer for 10 minutes more, skim, then drain the stock, cool, and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

Baked Free-Form Ravioli With Asparagus, Ramps and Morels
Serves 4 to 8

1/2 recipe (6 ounces) Basic Pasta Dough
Kosher salt
1 pound ricotta cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chervil (or fresh basil)
1 recipe ragout of asparagus, ramps, and morels
1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs (such as chervil, chives, basil, flat leaf parsley, and tarragon)

Use a pasta machine to roll out the dough. Work form the largest setting to the smallest, rolling the dough through each setting twice, and stopping short of the final setting. Lay out the rolled sheet of dough on a clean work surface. Cut the dough into 8 large squares. Place the pasta squares on a cookie sheet or cutting board dusted with cornmeal. Allow them to dry for about 5 minutes, then turn them and dry 5 minutes more. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.Heat the oven to 350º F.

Mix the ricotta, 3/4 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, and the olive oil together in a medium saucepan. Add salt and pepper and warm the cheese mixture, stirring occasionally, over low heat. Add the pasta squares to the boiling water one by one. Cook the squares just until they float to the surface, then drain, rinse under cold water, and pat dry.

Set the pasta aside in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with plastic wrap.Mix the chervil into the cheese mixture. Place a heaping spoonful of the mixture in the center of a pasta square, then fold the pasta around the cheese, creating a little bundle. (There is no “correct” way to do this, just make sure that you don’t use too much filling.)

Gently place the ravioli, folded-side down, in an oiled baking dish. Repeat filling, folding, and transferring until you have filled all the squares. Sprinkle the tops of the ravioli with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and bake until the pasta is golden and slightly puffed, about 20 minutes.Gently reheat the vegetable ragout over low heat. Place the ragout in shallow bowls, top with ravioli, and serve garnished with mixed fresh herbs. 

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