Pansotto with Walnut Sauce/Pansotto di Rapallo

Name: Pansotto with Walnut Sauce/ Pansotto di Rapallo
Ingredients: PANSOTI DOUGH; 1 cup “00” flour*; 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour; 1 egg; 1/3 to 1/2 cup white wine; 1 teaspoons Extra Virgin olive oil; Pinch salt; FILLING; 1 cup cooked Swiss chard, beet greens or mustard greens, squeezed very dry; 1 cup cooked spinach, squeezed very dry; 2 eggs; 1/2 cup ricotta cheese; 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese; 1/2 teaspoon salt; WALNUT SAUCE; 1/2 pound walnuts; 1/3 cup pine nuts; 1 clove garlic, peeled; Salt; 1/2 cup ricotta cheese; 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil; 2 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped marjoram or parsley; Ingredients

Pansoto with walnut sauce was born in Liguria in a small village near Rapallo called “San Martino di Noceto”. The word Noceto means walnut grove and this village had a very large production of walnuts. The locals made use of wild herbs to make an inexpensive filling for this regional type of ravioli. Pansoto comes from pansa, meaning belly in Genuese dialect and is filled with preboggion, a mixture of at least seven wild herbs, among which are: sow-thistle, pimpernel, wild beet, dog-tooth, rampion, nettle, dock, ribgrass, borage. Since we do not have access to some of these herbs, these are filled with spinach and Swiss chard.

MAKES 8 1/2 DOZEN

Ingredients

PANSOTI DOUGH
1 cup “00” flour*
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 egg
1/3 to 1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoons Extra Virgin olive oil
Pinch salt
FILLING
1 cup cooked Swiss chard, beet greens or mustard greens, squeezed very dry
1 cup cooked spinach, squeezed very dry
2 eggs
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
WALNUT SAUCE
1/2 pound walnuts
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 clove garlic, peeled
Salt
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped marjoram or parsley
Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the dough in a food processor or by making a Fontana; use only enough wine to make a workable dough. Knead the dough for several minutes until you have a smooth ball. Let rest, covered, for 30 minutes.
Finely chop the Swiss chard, beet greens or mustard greens and the spinach. Put the greens in a bowl with eggs, cheese and salt and blend well. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Place the walnuts, pine nuts, salt and garlic in a food processor and pulse to a paste. Add the cheese; pulse once or twice. Gradually add the olive oil until a smooth sauce is obtained. Transfer to a saucepan and stir in the marjoram or parsley. Keep the sauce warm while the pansotti are cooking.
Divide the dough into quarters; run each piece through a pasta machine to make long sheets.
Arrange a scant teaspoon of the filling on one sheet of dough, spacing the filling about 1 inch apart. Make two rows on the sheet of dough. Top with a second sheet of dough and use a triangular cutter to make the pansotti or cut 2-inch squares by hand and fold the dough over the filling to create a triangle shape. Seal the edges well.
Place them on clean towels, leaving a bit of space between them. Continue until all the dough and filling is used.
Cook them in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain with a slotted spoon and toss them with the walnut sauce. Serve hot and pass grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to sprinkle on top.
*Where do we purchase our 00 Flour? http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/king-arthur-italian-style-flour-3-lb