Viva Lewes Issue #137 February 2018

RECIPE
Pansotti in walnut sauce
Pop-up restaurant Articiocca offers genuine Ligurian cuisine in
the heart of Lewes. Here’s a delicate and nourishing pasta recipe,
from the female half of the husband-and-wife team, Nina Zuco
I lived in Bedford until I was twelve, and then we
moved to Albenga in Liguria, in NW Italy, where
my father is from. I moved back to England, to
Lewes, a couple of years ago with my husband,
Nico. We wanted to bring a little of Liguria back
with us, so we’ve started a pop-up restaurant
from our house in Fisher Street, which we open
to up to eight people two or three times a month.
It’s a mini-business: we’ve called it ‘Articiocca’,
which is Ligurian dialect for ‘artichoke’.
Liguria is famous for its food: because it’s got a
lot of coastline, but also the mountains behind,
we eat a lot of fish, and a lot of vegetables. We
tend to make dishes with quite subtle tastes,
rather than rich powerful sauces, made from
local ingredients. Here’s the recipe for one of my
faves, which can be eaten as a starter, or a main
course. Serves four.
To make fresh pasta you need a pasta machine:
most Italian households have one; the most
common brand is ‘Imperia’. It’s like a mini
mangle, with different settings. Once you’ve
bought one, you won’t regret having it. Italians
don’t tend to make fresh pasta every day, but it’s
a nice treat at the weekend, or for special meals.
You could also make this dish with vegetable
ravioli from the supermarket.
To make the dough put 400g superfine white
flour in a bowl, make a well, add four large eggs,
and mix and knead vigorously for about ten
minutes until it forms a compact ball. Wrap it in
cling-film, and rest for half an hour.
Make the filling for the pansotti – which are
like half-moon ravioli – out of 250g spinach
(blanched for a couple of minutes in boiling
water with a clove of garlic), 30-40g Parmesan
cheese, and a pinch of marjoram (fresh, if it’s in
season) and nutmeg, all mixed together.
Run the pasta through the machine at its
thinnest level (there’s a technique to this, consult
YouTube!) until you have a couple of sheets,
and cut out circles using a glass or a muffin
cutter (around 4-5cm diameter). Squeeze a small
amount of the filling into the middle of each
circle of pasta, pull one half over the other to
make a semi-circle, and press down the edges
firmly, so none of the filling can escape.
The sauce is just as easy. Soften the walnuts for
a couple of minutes in a pan of boiling water. In
the meantime soak two slices of crustless white
bread in about 30ml of milk (till it soaks it all up).
Put the bread in a little blender, with the nuts,
two tablespoons of Parmesan, another pinch or
two of marjoram, and a tablespoon of extra virgin
olive oil. Blend for a bit, add any leftover milk,
and blend again.
Fresh pasta doesn’t need much cooking time:
three minutes in already boiling water (with 3-4g
of salt added after it’s boiled) is enough. In the
meantime heat up the sauce in a large saucepan,
adding half a ladleful of the pasta water, which
will add starch and creaminess. When the
pansotti are cooked transfer them into the
saucepan using a draining spoon, and very gently
mix with the sauce. Add Parmesan to taste, and
black pepper, if you want, and drink with a glass
of white wine. Buon appetito!
Articiocca can also cater in-house for private
parties. You’ll find them on Facebook or call Nina
on 07979 095874
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