Oh, chard, is there any nut you don’t taste good with? Chard and pecans are lovely together, both have their own special blend of earthy brightness. The fresh ricotta and mozzarella add a creamy texture, the peas add a sweet little bite, and the pecans add crunch. I made this using cheater’s chickpea crepes, but you could use ordinary old crepes as well. Or even lasagna noodles, layered on top of each other, with the sauce all through rather than added at the end. If you do use the chickpea flour crepes, don’t worry if they tear or fall apart a bit. The filling will hold them together, and they’ll look fine in the end, with delicious sauce to cover any holes.

chard!

Here’s Elmore James’s Rollin and Tumblin, which was in my head while I rolled the crepes, and which blows me away every time I hear it. It really is phenomenal. One of my favorites.

1 batch cheater’s chickpea flour crepes
1 1/2 cup fresh ricotta
1-2 cups finely diced mozzarella
1 large bunch chard, washed and chopped into little pieces
handful (1/3 cup) of little green peas (Fresh in season, frozen if not)
olive oil
garlic
1 t rosemary
1 t. basil
1/2 t thyme
red pepper flakes
1 egg
1 batch simple tomato sauce. Add roasted red peppers with the tomatoes.

1. Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic and the herbs, then add the finely chopped chard and peas, and cook till it’s quite dry.

2. Mix the ricotta, mozzarella, chard & peas and the egg, and stir it all together

3. Lightly grease some sort of baking dish with straight sides. Put a crepe at the edge. Pile in some filling along the length. It’ll probably be about 2″ thick when you roll it all up. So enough filling to make that happen. If the crepes are broken or torn, do not worry! Mold them around the filling, turn the whole thing upside down on the seam, and the filling will hold it all together very nicely. It will all look good in the end!

4. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for about 20 minutes, till they’re hot all through, and the crepes are starting to crisp up.

5. Serve each crepe on a plate, with a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce over them.
(seen here in the presence of some roasted potatoes)