Ravioli Salad with Pepitas and Black Olives

Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day is winning me over: I made her Ravioli Salad with Pepitas and Black Olives earlier this week using some red pepper raviolis from Fairway, and it was pretty darn great. However, I think this recipe should really be called Ravioli Salad with Pepita and Cilantro Pesto. Swanson is the queen of creative pesto and the combo of cilantro, lemon and toasted pepitas was a nice twist on the usual herb-and-nut combos. Note that we had 14 oz. of ravioli and were left with extra pesto afterwards.

Ravioli Salad with Pepitas and Black Olives
From Super Natural Every Day: Well-Loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen
Serves 4 to 6

1/3 cup s pepitas, toasted
1 cup  lightly packed cilantro leaves and stems
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed
2/3 cup  extra-virgin olive oil
Fine-grain sea salt
16 ounces  fresh or frozen ravioli
1/2 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted and torn or chopped

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. In the meantime, make the cilantro pesto. Combine most of the pepitas, cilantro, Parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon juice and a splash of the olive oil and blend with an immersion blender (or in a food processor or standard blender) until smooth. Continue blending as you gradually drizzle in the remaining olive oil, until the pesto comes together into a vibrant green sauce. 2. Taste and add salt or more lemon juice, if needed.
3. When the water boils, salt it generously, add the ravioli, and boil until they float and are cooked through, usually just 1 or 2 minutes.
4. Drain immediately and, while still hot, toss with a big spoonful of the pesto. Allow the pesto to soak in a bit. Then add another 1/2 cup of the pesto along with most of the black olives. Toss well, but gently, and then decide whether you want to add more pesto.
5. Turn everything out into a large bowl or platter and sprinkle with the remaining olives, pepitas and flowers. Serve warm or at room temperature. Reserve the remaining pesto for tossing with leftovers.