This typical Ligurian first course, particularly characteristic of the Genoese tradition, is a relative newcomer in the Italian gastronomic landscape. Its official debut dates back to 1961 and the curiosity it aroused was such that it attracted the attention of the Secolo XIX newspaper, whose headline read: “Pansotti, What a Curious Food.” Even if its origins are said to actually date back almost 30 years prior, what makes these little stuffed triangles of slightly bulging pasta unique – and what explains the origin of their name – is the story of the filling, prepared with preboggion, which in dialect means “herbs for cooking.”
Legend has it...
In the Tigullio tradition, the greens needed to stuff the pansotti must be seven in number and picked strictly in the morning, along the edges of paths on the Ligurian coast. It’s hard to say exactly which are the perfect plants to choose from, after all it’s a peasant tradition that can vary from day to day. However, the most reliable hypotheses say that pimpernel, cicerbita, dog’s-tooth-violet and borage, of course, are musts. If you’re wondering what these plants even are, you’re not alone. In fact, some of them are a bit difficult to find and will require you settling for classic chard or spinach, with the addition of fresh marjoram. Once ready, the filling is wrapped in a thin pasta, then closed into fat little triangles.
No exceptions for the sauce!
Despite the variations in filling and, in some ways, even the shape in which they are closed, no exceptions or variations are tolerated for the sauce. Ligurian tradition calls for pansotti with walnut sauce. Rather dense, it is characterized by chopped walnuts that give it a good consistency as well as a sweet, slightly bitter taste. The sweet and creamy note of this sauce comes from prescinseua, a typical Ligurian cheese, similar to stracchino, which blends perfectly with walnuts in a balanced, exquisite combination.
Good and nutritious
Walnuts are – among other things – a real gift from mother nature, rich in Omega-3, calcium, vitamins and minerals, and able to improve the aesthetic appearance of the skin. Excellent for helping reduce the risk of heart disease, they also have a low glycemic index and as such are also suitable for people with diabetes. As always, the only rule to follow is to not overdo it, and to maintain a balanced diet.
A dish for the whole family
These delicious “treasure chests” of fresh pasta, filled with herbs and cheese, are an ideal first course for any occasion, made even more special by the walnut sauce that gives them an extra kick from the point of view of both nutrition and taste!
- Prepare the fresh pasta by mixing 3 1/3 cups of flour, 1 2/3 cups of water, an egg and a pinch of salt. Work the dough for 10 minutes then wrap in film and keep in the fridge for an hour.
- In salted water, boil 8 3/4 ounces of borage, 9 ounces of chard and 18 ounces of preboggion (mixed wild herbs), or use 1 1/2 lbs of chard, 11 ounces of borage and a generous bunch of marjoram. Rinse the herbs, wring them out and chop. Then fry them for a few minutes, with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, abundant marjoram leaves, salt and a clove of garlic, which you’ll remove at the end.
- Transfer the greens to a bowl and as soon as they’re warm, add two eggs, 5 ounces of prescinseua or ricotta cheese, 1 3/4 ounces of grated Grana Padano cheese and nutmeg to taste. Let the filling cool down.
- Roll out the pasta dough to around 1/10 of an inch thick. Cut it into 3 inch squares, place a ball of filling in the middle of each square, then close into triangles, sealing the edges well.
- Shell about 20-25 nuts. Submerge the kernels into boiling water and remove them from the heat when the water returns to a boil. Peel most of the kernels with a knife.
- In a mortar, combine the walnuts, 3/4 ounce of breadcrumbs soaked in water or milk and squeezed, and a pinch of coarse salt. Begin to crush.
- Add a sliced clove of garlic and continue to work with the pestle for 5-6 minutes, until you get a smooth, even dough.
- Pour in 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil little by little.
- Complete with 1 3/4 ounces of prescinseua or replace with 1 ounce of grated Grana Padano, add another drizzle of oil and mix everything together.
- Boil the pansotti in salted water for a few minutes, tasting before draining. Then dilute the sauce with a couple of tablespoons of cooking water, drain the pansotti, (use a skimmer to avoid breaking them), and dress with the sauce.