Swiss Chard and Pasta Timbale

Isn’t the color just like a stagnating pond???

Anyway, this is a casserole-custard type of Italian dish that I tried, and despite it’s similarity to pond scum, it was actually quite tasty. It has a lot of cheese in it, and the reason it’s so atomic green is because you puree the cooked swiss chard before mixing it with the egg, milk, and cheese mixture.

The recipe is from The Joy of Pasta by Joe Famularo and Louise Imperiale, which is out of print (which means you can get it really cheaply used). I absolutely LOVE this book. They have like 13 different tomato sauces and all kinds of neat Italian pasta dishes that I’d love to try.

I was trying to find a similar recipe to post, but then discovered that the EXACT recipe from the book was posted here. (Is that illegal? I think it might be.)

Anyway, I used 1% milk instead of whipping cream and I used half the amount of cheese. It was still a bit soupy at 25 minutes so I cooked it for about 15-20 minutes longer. I also used foil instead of waxed paper, and my ramekins are actually Japanese bowls used for chawanmushi (a savory custard made with eggs, soy sauce, chicken broth, and filled with meats and vegetables).

They taste divine, a bit like a parmesan cheesy casserole. They only look poisonous. I promise. :)