Instructions: Cut the leaves of the Swiss chard from their stalks and blanch drain and roughly chop.

Finely chop about 150g of the stalks (the whiter the stalk the more tender) and blanch them separately in boiling salted water.

Heat the butter in a heavy saucepan and gently fry the onion until soft and beginning to colour. Add the blanched stalks and the pancetta and cook together for a few minutes just long enough for the pancetta to become translucent but not crisp.

The pancetta flavour should blend together with the onion and stalks.

Season then add the chard leaves and cook for a few minutes.

Remove from the heat and cool.

In a large bowl break up the ricotta using a fork.

Season with nutmeg sea salt and black pepper.

Add half the cooled chard mixture and stir together lightly.

Add the Parmesan and the remainder of the chard and fold together.

The mixture should not be at all wet; if it seems so add a little extra parmesan.

Taste for seasoning and ensure that the mixture is completely cold before making the ravioli.

Divide the pasta into small amounts the size of a large egg.

Using a pasta machine roll them out into long strips (one at a time to prevent drying) as thin as possible.

Cut in half if too long.

Put teaspoons of filling about 6cm apart on the sheet in the centre of the half nearest you so that you can fold the other half over to make a parcel.

Brush around the fillings with a pastry brush dipped in water before folding so that the envelopes you are making will seal properly.

Using a pasta cutter seal each envelope by cutting on three sides (the fourth is the fold).

Dust a large plate or tray with semolina flour and carefully place the ravioli on it making sure that they do not touch.

You should have about fiffy.

To make the sage butter heat the butter gently so that it separates.

Pour out the clarified butter return to the heat and when very hot add the sage for a second or two.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and put in the ravioli.

Lower heat to simmer: the ravioli will pop up to the surface of the water after 30 seconds but according to how thin you managed to roll the pasta they wili take up to 2 minutes to cook. Test on the join of the envelope where the pasta is thickest.

Serve the ravioli on warm plates with 34 sage leaves a little of the melted butter and some extra Parmesan.

The blended flavours of Swiss chard and pancetta make an unusual filling for ravioli.

Serves 10

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