The Pasta Man’s corzetti salsa di noci recipe: pasta with walnut sauce

Details

• Cuisine: Italian
• Recipe Type: Pasta
• Difficulty: Medium
• Preparation Time: 60 mins
• Cooking Time: 10 mins
• Serves: 4

Step-by-step

For the semolina dough:

1. Place the semolina in a large mixing bowl, add a pinch of salt and pour in the warm water.
2. Combine with a fork – it will soon look like a crumble mix – and start to form the dough into a loose ball with your hands.
3. As soon as the dough has come together, turn it onto a clean work surface or board and knead until it’s smooth and elastic – this will take about 10-15 minutes. Use the heel of one hand to push the dough away from you and use your other hand to turn it 90 degrees after each knead. You’ll soon develop a lovely rhythm.
4. When the dough is smooth, form it into a flat disc; this will make it easier to roll out later. Place in an airtight container or under an upturned bowl to rest for 30 minutes.
5. To shape the corzetti, start with a quarter of the dough, keeping the rest in an airtight container, and prepare a tray or baking sheet dusted with coarse semolina, on which to lay out your finished pasta.
6. Roll out your dough. The dough needs to have a little thickness to allow for imprinting the pattern on both sides. Aim for a sheet around 3mm (0.1in) thick.
7. Once you’ve rolled your dough, dust it with semolina on both sides and then, using the base of the corzetti stamp, gently twist it to cut out as many circles as you can from your sheet.
8. Place a disc of dough on the stamp, pattern face up, then gently push the top down to sandwich the dough and apply just enough pressure to emboss it. Avoid twisting the handle or you’ll spoil the pattern.
9. Gently remove and place the stamped pasta on the dusted tray. Repeat until you have a lovely pile of medallions. The scraps of leftover dough can be balled together and re-rolled to give a fresh and smooth sheet to work with.

Step-by-step corzetti making (Photography: Dave Brown)

For the walnut sauce:

1. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, add the walnuts and boil them for 5 minutes. Drain them straight away and allow them to cool.
2. Soak the bread in the milk, ensuring it’s completely covered by the liquid. After 5 minutes, squeeze the bread and transfer it to the bowl of a food processor, keeping the remaining milk to one side.
3. Add the boiled walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and Parmesan and start to blend. Slowly pour the milk through the funnel of the processor until the mixture starts to look like porridge – a thick, grainy paste. Transfer the sauce to a large clean saucepan and set aside until you’re ready to cook the pasta.
4. Bring a large pan of water to a boil before seasoning it with a generous amount of table salt. Drop in the corzetti and boil for 2 minutes.
5. While they are cooking, scoop out a ladleful of the pasta cooking water and pour it into the sauce, which should now be set over medium heat. Stir in the water to create a looser sauce and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Drain the pasta, reserving a small jugful of the cooking water, and add the corzetti to the sauce. Stir together with a large spoon and add more of the pasta cooking water if needed. Taste and adjust the seasoning, to taste. Serve at once.

Recipe adapted from Pasta Masterclass by Mateo Zielonka. (Quadrille, £26) Photography: Dave Brown