It's getting a bit late in the season now for borage, but I happened to have a little pot of it growing on the windowsill and figured I should put it to use. It's mild and subtle when young - but I wouldn't use it after its first few weeks, as it gets sticky, nettle-like, and a bit tough.
Here, I've chopped it with spinach, stirred it into ricotta, and stuffed the mixture into fresh, hand-rolled sheets of pasta. I topped the whole thing off with a simple, garlicky cream sauce and popped it under the grill.
A note on hand-rolling pasta: it takes forever and quite a lot of muscle. If you have a machine, which I don't, go for it, but it's kind of satisfying to do it by hand. It's impossible to get the pasta paper-thin, but I roll until I can see my blue countertop through the pasta, then hold it up to the light to see my hand through it.
*****
Borage and Ricotta Cannelloni
Makes enough for three or four.
Half a batch pasta dough - I used Jamie Oliver's, here. Roll into 6x6 inch sheets.
1 small tub ricotta
1 clove garlic
1 small handful tender young borage leaves, finely chopped
a handful spinach, finely chopped
1 cup whole milk
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
salt and pepper
olive oil
parmesan cheese
parsley and basil to garnish
1. Finely mince half of your garlic clove and stir into the ricotta. Stir in your greens, a splash of olive oil, and season to taste. 2. Melt your butter in a small saucepan and stir in your flour to form a roux. Toss in the rest of your garlic, minced, and whisk in your milk. Bring to a simmer and season to taste. Set aside. 3. Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook your pasta sheets until just cooked. Drain and rinse under cool water. 4. Begin assembly by coating the base of a baking sheet with a bit of olive oil and a spoonful of your white sauce. 5. Take each sheet of pasta and lay it out flat. Stuff with a few spoonfuls of ricotta mixture and roll up like a burrito. Line them up in the pan fairly tightly. 6. Pour over the rest of your sauce, grate over some parmesan, and pop in the oven at 400 F (200C) until golden brown. Serve with herbs sprinkled over the top.
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