WALNUT SAUCE one of the best-known GENOVESE RECIPES.
One of the most famous sauces, along with BASIL PESTO, from Ligurian cuisine is surely walnut sauce, traditionally paired with pansotti or pansoti (pasta filled with herbs and ricotta) or with lean ravioli (filled with spinach and ricotta).
It is a very flavorful sauce made from fresh walnuts that are pounded in a mortar with oil and other ingredients. Indeed, the preparation of walnut sauce, like pesto, is characterized by the use of a marble mortar, although nowadays almost everyone makes it with a kitchen processor.
The procedure, like every typical regional recipe, varies from town to town, and I could say even from family to family. Tradition would have it that the ingredients include prescinsêua, a curd from whole milk typical of Genoa with a consistency similar to soft ricotta but with a more acidic taste, mainly used in vegetable pies. But since it is impossible to find outside of Genoa, it is usually replaced with milk.
Today I will give you a version of walnut sauce as it was handed down to me, reflecting Ligurian tradition, except for the use of prescinsêua, which I will replace with milk that I prefer because it is lighter and more digestible.
This is truly a valuable recipe, a symbol of genuine, healthy, and light Ligurian cuisine, made with few ingredients, but always the right ones, perfect as a condiment for traditional pansoti or lean ravioli, but also excellent for trofie, trenette, and lasagna, and why not, even as a sauce on crostini.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 690.16 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 14.87 (g) of which sugars 6.32 (g)
- Proteins 13.36 (g)
- Fat 65.49 (g) of which saturated 7.92 (g)of which unsaturated 5.56 (g)
- Fibers 2.59 (g)
- Sodium 135.20 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE WALNUT SAUCE
Walnut sauce is a condiment made with few and simple ingredients, so choosing ingredients that are fresh and of excellent quality, starting with walnuts, will be even more important in this case.
- 8.82 oz walnut kernels
- 1.69 cups whole milk
- 0.59 cups extra virgin olive oil
- breadcrumbs (of 1 roll)
- 1.76 oz grated Parmesan cheese
- 1.06 oz pine nuts
- 1 clove garlic
- marjoram (1 sprig)
Tools
- Mixer
HOW TO MAKE WALNUT SAUCE
Walnut sauce was traditionally prepared with the classic marble mortar, but nowadays almost everyone uses a mixer to prepare it. Below you will find both versions of the walnut sauce with the mortar, for a romantic touch to the preparation, and the more practical version of walnut sauce with the blender.
First, cut the breadcrumbs into cubes and transfer it with the milk into a bowl. Work it with a fork or with your hands until the breadcrumbs have absorbed the milk and you have obtained a grainy cream. Insert a halved garlic clove, stripped of its core, into the mortar and start pounding it until it becomes a cream, then add the walnut kernels 6. Pound these as well to obtain a creamy but still grainy mixture. Add the breadcrumbs and continue to mix with the pestle. Add extra virgin olive oil, marjoram, and Parmesan cheese while continuing to pound. Adjust the salt and continue to work until you have a cream. The walnut sauce is ready. Keep in mind that compared to the mixer process, the walnut sauce with the mortar will always be semi-grainy.
First, cut the breadcrumbs into cubes and transfer them with the milk into a bowl. Work it with a fork or with your hands until the breadcrumbs have absorbed the milk and you have obtained a grainy cream. Transfer the soaked bread into the blender’s container. Add all the other ingredients: walnut kernels, a pinch of coarse salt, 1 garlic clove cut and stripped of its core, pine nuts, marjoram, grated Parmesan cheese, and finally extra virgin olive oil. Start blending and continue until you have obtained a smooth and homogeneous cream. Taste and adjust the salt. The walnut sauce is ready!
NOTE
Please note that WALNUT SAUCE is a cold condiment that, like Genoese BASIL PESTO, should never be cooked or heated. When you dress the pasta, keep some of the pasta boiling water aside and use a spoonful if the sauce seems too thick.
TIPS
WALNUTS: The walnut sauce recipe is simple, made with very few ingredients among which the walnuts are the stars. Therefore, be sure to purchase quality walnuts, preferably of Italian origin since foreign ones are often too oily. If you can’t find them shelled, you can buy them still in the shell, as long as the total amount of shelled walnuts is 250 g. Don’t peel them because in this recipe the walnut skin gives the particular color and flavor that are the characteristics of this recipe.
MILK: The amount of milk to add varies according to the type of bread we use in the recipe. Sandwich bread and pan carré will absorb a lot of milk, whereas if we use stale bread like we did, we will need to add a bit more.
GARLIC: The original walnut sauce recipe calls for the use of garlic, which is only slightly noticeable in the overall taste. However, if you are allergic, intolerant, or simply don’t like garlic, you can omit it.
HOW TO USE WALNUT SAUCE
This is one of the most versatile walnut recipes. We can use it as a walnut sauce for pasta and use it to dress linguine, spaghetti, or any short pasta of our choice. Mix it together with a ladle of cooking water, and you will get a well-mixed and very tasty dressing. It is also excellent for filling sandwiches, flatbreads, bread croutons, and as an accompaniment in vegetables or main courses.
