RAVIOLI WITH WALNUT SAUCE
PANSOTTI or PANSOTI, are fresh stuffed pasta like ravioli, hailing from the peasant culinary tradition, found in the shape of a tortello or a triangle (easier to make) which is usually served with walnut sauce, a no-cook condiment that is a classic of Ligurian cuisine.
Walnut sauce and Pansoti are both ancient recipes that have their origins in history and territory and have undergone various interpretations depending on the municipality, village, and sometimes Ligurian family.
The original recipe requires these “ravioli” to be filled with a stuffing made of a mix of wild herbs called “prebuggiùn” in Genoese (chard, borage, burnet, dandelion, nettle, lungwort, wild mustard) together with prescinseua, a sort of curd that seems a mix between ricotta and yogurt.
But don’t worry if you’re not Genovese, you can still make Pansoti using some greens and ricotta, as many Ligurians now do for convenience, and the pansoti will still be delicious! To dress them, not even to say it, walnut sauce: the classic combination that never disappoints!
And if making fresh pasta takes a little time, you will catch up with walnut sauce, a simple, no-cook, and very quick preparation for which you just need to put all the ingredients in the blender and blend.
You will bring to the table a light and delicate but tasty first course with a creamy dressing that if left over, can be used to dress other types of fresh or dry pasta or to fill sandwiches, wraps, bread crostini or as an accompaniment to vegetables or main courses.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Portions: 8 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 734.70 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 58.34 (g) of which sugars 5.03 (g)
- Proteins 22.90 (g)
- Fat 47.60 (g) of which saturated 7.09 (g)of which unsaturated 5.15 (g)
- Fibers 3.15 (g)
- Sodium 524.80 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 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
INGREDIENTS needed to prepare PANSOTTI with WALNUT SAUCE
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup water (room temperature)
- 2 tbsps white wine
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 2 eggs (medium)
- 28 oz borage (and Swiss chard in equal quantity)
- 6 oz prescinseua (or cow's milk ricotta)
- 1 egg (medium)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- to taste marjoram
- 1 pinch fine salt
- to taste nutmeg
- 8.8 oz walnuts (shelled)
- 1.7 cups whole milk
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- crumb (of 1 roll)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 oz pine nuts
- 1 sprig marjoram
- to taste coarse salt
Tools
- Pasta machine
- Rolling pin
- Pastry wheel
- Mixer
- Pot
HOW TO PREPARE LIGURIAN PANSOTTI WITH WALNUT SAUCE
Below you will find the step-by-step instructions for preparing fresh pasta, the filling of these typical Genoese ravioli, how to shape them, and finally the instructions for the dressing. However, if you don’t feel like or have the time to make Pansoti, but still want to taste this simple yet tasty recipe, you can buy ready-made fresh pasta and prepare only the dressing!
Pour the flour on a work surface, create a well in the center and add the eggs and a pinch of salt. Start kneading by hand until the eggs are absorbed. Add the white wine and continue kneading. Then add the water gradually while continuing to knead vigorously. Form a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Traditionally a mix of wild spontaneous herbs (prebuggiùn in Ligurian dialect) would be used, but for practicality, we will use a mix of greens and borage. Clean the greens, removing the tougher stems, cut them into strips and boil in water for 3-4 minutes. Drain and pass them in cold water to maintain the bright green color, then squeeze and chop finely with a knife.
In a bowl, put the cooked and chopped greens, ricotta (or prescinseua), grated Parmesan cheese, and 1 egg. Add a pinch of nutmeg and one of fine salt. Mix to combine and set aside.
After the resting time, take the dough, take a piece and start passing it through the roller of the pasta machine starting from the thickest setting. Continue to pass it reducing the thickness until you obtain rather thin strips of dough. Using the pastry wheel, cut squares about 3 inches on each side from each strip. Using a teaspoon, place a bit of filling in the center of each square.
To shape pansoti, you have two options: the simplest is simply to shape them into a triangle or the traditional pansotto shape resembling a large tortellino. To do this, lightly brush the edges of the dough and then close it into a triangle. You can stop here or, after closing it into a triangle, fold the tip and join the two ends, sealing them well to create the Pansoti.
First, cut the crumb into cubes and transfer it with the milk into a bowl. Work it with a fork or hands until the crumb absorbs the milk and you have a grainy cream. Transfer the soaked bread into the blender jar. Add all the other ingredients: walnut kernels, a pinch of coarse salt, 1 garlic clove chopped and depitted of the central core, pine nuts, marjoram, grated Parmesan, and lastly the extra virgin olive oil. Start blending and continue until you get a smooth and homogeneous cream. Taste and adjust the salt. The walnut sauce is ready!
Now you just need to cook the Pansotti. Put a pot of abundant water on the stove and bring it to a boil, salt, and when it’s ready, cook the pansoti for about 7 minutes. Drain them, keeping a little cooking water to slightly dilute the walnut sauce. Place them in a serving dish or directly in the bowl with the dressing with a spoonful of pasta water, mix gently to dress, and serve immediately, sprinkling with grated Parmesan cheese as desired.
NOTES AND TIPS for WALNUT SAUCE
WALNUTS: The walnut sauce is a simple recipe made with very few ingredients, with walnuts as the protagonists. Make sure to buy quality walnuts, especially of Italian origin, as foreign ones are often too oily. If you can’t find them shelled, you can also buy them in the shell, the important thing is that the total quantity of shelled walnuts is 250 g. Do not 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 depending on the type of bread used in the recipe. Sandwich bread and bread loaf will absorb a lot of milk, while if using stale bread, as we did, you’ll need to add a bit more.
GARLIC: The original walnut sauce recipe includes garlic, which is barely perceptible in terms of taste in the overall dish. However, if you’re allergic, intolerant, or simply don’t like garlic, you can omit it.
WALNUTS: The walnut sauce is a simple recipe made with very few ingredients, with walnuts as the protagonists. Make sure to buy quality walnuts, especially of Italian origin, as foreign ones are often too oily. If you can’t find them shelled, you can also buy them in the shell, the important thing is that the total quantity of shelled walnuts is 250 g. Do not 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 depending on the type of bread used in the recipe. Sandwich bread and bread loaf will absorb a lot of milk, while if using stale bread, as we did, you’ll need to add a bit more.
GARLIC: The original walnut sauce recipe includes garlic, which is barely perceptible in terms of taste in the overall dish. However, if you’re allergic, intolerant, or simply don’t like garlic, you can omit it.
PANSOTTI NOTES AND TIPS
EGGS: Fresh pasta in the Genoese tradition is usually prepared with few eggs.
WHITE WINE: The recipe for pansoti includes white wine, which gives the dough a special aroma.
HERBS: I recommend cutting/chopping the herbs with a knife to maintain the pleasantly bitter taste they release.
RICOTTA: The original pansotti recipe includes using prescinseua, a traditional Genoese curd, in the filling. However, given its difficulty in being sourced, it can be replaced with cow’s milk ricotta.
STORAGE
Once ready, fresh pasta should be used immediately or at most after a few hours. Raw pansoti can be frozen. Walnut sauce keeps in the fridge for two days. You can freeze it and thaw at room temperature.
