Name: Pansotti con salsa di noci (stuffed pasta with walnut sauce)
Prep time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 20g unsalted butter; 300g chard and/or spinach; 25g dill, fennel tops and/or parsley, chopped; 100g ricotta; 20g parmesan or veggie equivalent, finely grated; Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon; Freshly grated nutmeg; 1 batch pasta dough (see Before you start); Semolina to dust; 1 medium egg, beaten; Extra-virgin olive oil to fry; 100g focaccia (stale is fine), whizzed into coarse crumbs; Chopped parsley to serve; 60g walnuts, toasted and finely chopped; 1 small garlic clove, finely grated; 30g parmesan or veggie equivalent, finely grated; 60g mascarpone; Pinch dried oregano; Finely grated zest ½ lemon; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; Pasta machine

Pansotti con salsa di noci (stuffed pasta with walnut sauce)

These triangular-shaped ravioli are a speciality of Italy’s Liguria region, often filled with whatever wild and fresh greens are at their best. The walnut sauce is like a rich, creamy pesto, while the focaccia pangrattato adds welcome crunch. Making this recipe from Bancone’s executive chef Ben Waugh is a labour of love. “This is a deeply comforting way to eat pasta and it’s well worth the patience required,” says Ben. “The walnuts create a nutty texture against the creaminess of the ricotta and gentle herbs and greens.” Chef Ben rose through the ranks of the fine dining world working for Gordon Ramsay at The Savoy Grill and Petrus before joining acclaimed London restaurant group Bancone in 2021 as executive chef. Discover the traditional dishes, star ingredients and more from Liguria with our food lover’s guide to the region.

Vegetarian

Serves4

Hands-on1 hour

DifficultyMedium

Method

Add the butter to a medium frying pan over a medium heat. Once foaming, add the chard/spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted. Leave to cool.
Squeeze the leaves to remove as much excess liquid as you can. Roughly chop them, put in a bowl, then add the herbs, ricotta, parmesan, lemon zest and juice. Mix thoroughly, seasoning with a pinch of salt and pepper and a grating of nutmeg. Transfer to a piping bag.
To make the pangrattato, heat a splash of oil in a wide frying pan. Add the focaccia crumbs and a pinch of salt, then cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until the crumbs are crisp and golden. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain.>
To make the sauce, mix the walnuts, garlic, parmesan, mascarpone, oregano, lemon zest and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the extra-virgin olive oil 1 tbsp at a time, mixing well after each addition, then set aside.
Divide the pasta dough into quarters and dust your work surface with semolina. Take a quarter and run it through your pasta machine, starting at the widest setting and gradually moving down until the sheet is 1-1.5mm thick. Pipe blobs of the filling, roughly 15g each, in a line along the centre of the sheet. Brush a little beaten egg around the blobs, then roll out a second piece of pasta dough and lay this on top. Carefully press down around the filling to seal the pansotti and remove any air bubbles, then cut a triangle around each blob of filling.
Repeat this with the other 2 pieces of pasta dough and the remaining filling – you should get 20-24 pansotti in total. As you cut them out, transfer them to a tray dusted with semolina.
Bring a large pan of heavily salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, very gently heat the walnut sauce. Drain the pasta, divide among plates and drizzle the walnut sauce over the top. Finish with the pangrattato, a drizzle of oil and a little chopped parsley.