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Walnut sauce (crema di noci)
Serves 4, as a pasta main Sauces and accompaniments
Ingredients
- 250g shelled walnuts
- 2 thin slices ciabatta, crusts removed
- 60ml milk
- 2tbsp pine nuts
- 1 garlic clove
- 75g ricotta
- 45ml olive oil
- 1tbsp finely chopped marjoram leaves
Method
Blanch the walnuts in a pan of boiling water for 30 seconds, then drain and plunge into a bowl of iced water to cool. Drain again, then wrap in a clean tea towel and rub off the skins.
Transfer the walnuts, a few at a time, to a large mortar and start to grind with the pestle.
Put the bread and milk in a bowl and leave to soak for around 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess liquid,then add the bread to the walnuts. Continue pounding for a minute, then add the pine nuts and garlic. Keep pounding until you achieve a smooth paste. (Use a mini processor if your mortar is too small to take the amount).
Transfer the walnut mix to a bowl, add the ricotta and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Add the olive oil and a few pinches of salt, then the marjoram, and mix again.
Use straightaway as a sauce for ravioli such as spinach-stuffed pansotti or other pasta, or cover with a thin layer of olive oil and keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.
This recipe featured in the May/June 2021 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe, click here.
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