Pansotti di Rapallo (Pansotti with Walnut Sauce)

Ingredients:

For the Pansotti:
(need 350g pansotti in all)

For the Filling:
250g Swiss chard, (stems and midribs removed and reserved for another use() leaves coarsely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
6 tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
90ml fresh ricotta cheese (or you can use my home-made ricotta cheese recipe to prepare your own)
1/2 large egg
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper

For the Dough:
210g unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp fine sea salt
2 tbsp dry white wine
60ml water (about)
1/2 large egg

For the Walnut Sauce:
90g (1 cup, scant) shelled walnuts
4 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
120ml (1/2 cup) double cream

Method:

For the pansotti: Begin with the filling: Bring a large pan of water to a boil, add the chard leaves and cook for 3 minutes. Drain, then squeeze out all excess water by wringing gently in a clean cloth. Turn the chard onto a board and chop finely, along with the basil. Combine the garlic and salt on a chopping board and using the blade and flat side of a chef's knife crush these ingredients together to a smooth paste.

In a bowl, combine greens, garlic paste, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, ricotta cheese, half he egg egg and the black pepper. Cover bowl and set aside (this is your filling).

Now prepare the pasta dough. Mix together the flour and salt. Mound this mixture on your work centre, form a well in the middle then add the wine, 2 tbsp water and the remaining half an egg. Using a fork slowly incorporate the flour from inside the rim of the well into the wet ingredients. Continue in this manner until all the liquid is absorbed, then knead the mixture until the dough comes together as a single mass. Transfer to a well-floured work surface (or dust underneath the dough) and knead for 3 to 4 minutes more, or until smooth and elastic. If the dough is not coming together add more water a tablespoon at a time to moisten. When the dough is firm and smooth wrap in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.

After this time, unwrap the dough, turn out onto a lightly-floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes. Now flatten the dough so that it's thin enough to easily fit through the rollers of a hand-cranked pasta machine with the rollers set at their widest setting. Feed the pasta through the machine three or four times, folding and turning the pasta until it is smooth and the width of your machine.

Cut the resultant dough into three equal lengths. Cover two of the pieces with a clean tea towel then take the third piece and begin rolling through the machine, decreasing the distance setting one notch each time you pass the dough through (do not fold or turn the pasta during this time). Continue rolling until the sheet is about 3mm thick. Now cut the pasta sheet into two pieces and dust both sides with flour. Cover the first sheet with a clean tea dowel. Cut the exposed pasta sheet into 8cm squares. Fill each of these with a teaspoon of the filling mixture then fold into triangles and seal the edges first by dabbing with water and then by pressing together. Transfer to a clean, dry, lightly-floured baking tray. Repeat this process with the remaining pasta until all the filling has been used up.

For the sauce: Combine the walnuts and garlic oil in a food processor and process to a paste (add up to 120ml [1/2 cup]) water as you process to slacken the mixture. Spoon the resultant mixture into a large bowl and add the cream.

Beat thoroughly to combine then season to taste with salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the pansotti and cook for about 5 minutes, or until tender and cooked through.

In the meantime, turn the walnut sauce into a large, warmed, bowl and add a ladleful of the pasta cooking water.

Drain the pasta when done and turn into the bowl of walnut sauce. Toss well to combine and coat then serve immediately.