Pansoti with walnut sauce are the classic “lean” first course of Genoese tradition. They can be found in half-moon, triangular, or characteristic plump shapes. The filling is always made of vegetables, and the original recipe includes preboggion, a mixture of wild herbs that varies depending on the area of Liguria and the season in which the dish is prepared and is not always easy to find. Thanks to my friend Lucia who advised me, I found the prebuggiun, as it is called in Genoese dialect, at the Eastern Market located in the heart of Genoa. My prebuggion is made up of hare’s lettuce, pimpinella, chicory, dandelion, hare’s ear, borage, and chard.
Recipe of 16/01/2017 updated
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 50 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Liguria
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 bunch aromatic herbs (12 oz preboggion, wild field herbs)
- 1 bunch chard (12 oz raw)
- 2 bunchs borage
- 2.5 oz grated parmesan
- A few sprigs marjoram
- 1 egg (medium)
- 3.5 oz ricotta
- 1.75 oz curd (Genoese prescinseua cheese)
- 0.1 oz fine salt
- 2 pinches nutmeg
- 10.5 oz flour
- 1 egg (medium)
- 3.5 fl oz dry white wine
- 0.1 oz fine salt
- 7 oz walnut kernels (blanched to remove skin or not)
- 0.35 oz pine nuts
- 1.75 oz crumb
- 6 fl oz milk (to soak the crumb)
- 1/2 clove garlic
- A few sprigs marjoram
- 1.75 oz grated parmesan
- 0.35 fl oz extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 pinch fine salt
Tools
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- Food Scale
- Board
- Pasta Machine
- Mold for pansoti
- Pastry Bag
- Blender
- Bowl
- Pot
Steps
Wash the preboggion well, discard the bad and wilted leaves. In the borage, remove the tough stems on the back of the leaves. Blanch them by throwing them into lightly salted boiling water and leave them for 5 minutes. Drain, squeeze them very well, and chop finely with the mixer. Put the herbs, parmesan, ricotta, prescinseua, chopped marjoram, egg, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl. Mix everything well and let it rest.
Pour the flour on the board and make the classic fountain with the dent in which to break the egg. Salt and start kneading by adding the wine. Make a firm dough and leave to rest for 30 minutes covered with a cloth. Roll out the dough with the pasta machine and shape the pansoti. You can use the special mold or make them by hand giving them triangular or plump shapes. To place the filling, use a pastry bag or a teaspoon. As they are made, let them dry on a cloth.
If you want to prepare the sauce as per the original recipe, equip yourself with a mortar. Otherwise, do like me and use the blender. Soak the crumb of the roll in the milk and let it soak. Squeeze it and put it in the glass with the pine nuts, the walnut kernels, the leaves of marjoram, the garlic, the salt, a pinch of nutmeg, a drizzle of oil and operate the blender, gradually pouring in the remaining milk. Pour the mixture into a bowl, add the parmesan and if it is too thick, dilute it with the pasta cooking water. As soon as the water boils, salt and drop the pansoti which will rise to the surface after 4-5 minutes. At this point, taste them and if cooked, drain them keeping aside a ladle of cooking water. Dress with the sauce, diluting it if necessary with the pasta water. Serve and, if desired, sprinkle some chopped walnut on the plate.
Conservation
Pansoti with walnut sauce, if freshly made and if they need to be cooked on the same day, should be stored in a cool environment.
If desired, they can be frozen spaced on a tray. Once frozen, they can be placed in freezer bags. When cooking them, drop them directly into the pot while the water is boiling.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Why do Pansoti open during cooking?
If the edges are not sealed well, it’s easy for this to happen. Make sure to seal them tightly.
What herbs are in Pansoti’s filling?
Pansoti’s filling consists of Prebuggiun, a blend of wild herbs that varies depending on the area of Liguria and the season. You’ll find chard, borage, hare’s lettuce, chicory, dandelion, grattalingua, nettle, poppy, radicchio, rampion, burnet, silene, dandelion. These herbs may also go by other names depending on local dialects. They don’t all need to be used together; they should be balanced for their bitter, neutral, and savory flavors.
