Genoese Walnut Sauce

By John, 14 April, 2020
Region
Liguria
Description
Ravioli with Genoese Walnut Sauce

This is the classic partner  to Pansotti, a traditional Ligurian ravioli filled with Preboggion (a mix of herbs of the Italian Riviera). We can't get that, so I had to use a store-bought spinach ravioli. But the Walnut Sauce is the star of the show... I saw a few recipes, and this one from the charming blog A Small Kitchen in Genoa looked really good. 

It was certainly easy enough. I made only two changes: she calls for fresh marjoram and I substituted the more readily available (in Massachusetts in April) Oregano, and she skips the common step of soaking the walnuts in boiling water (which I did, without the unnecessary step of rubbing off the skins). 

So we had this with spinach ravioli, and it's not Genoa, but it was still mighty tasty! 

Yield
8 Servings
Preparation time
20 minutes
Ingredients
1 Slice white bread, crust removed
1 c Milk
2 c chopped walnuts
1⁄2 clv Garlic
10 oregano leaves
1 T Parmesan Cheese (grated)
1⁄4 t Sea Salt
1⁄3 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1⁄3 c Boiling Water (from the pasta pot)
Instructions
  1. Put on a pot of water for the pasta. While the water comes to the boil, make the sauce.
  2. Soak the bread in the milk, then when it's soggy, squeeze it out and add the bread to a food processor.
  3. Combine the soggy bread, the walnuts, garlic, oregano, salt, and cheese and mill them together in the food processor.
  4. Add the olive oil and some water. Keep blending, adding boiling water as needed to get it to mix well without becoming runny.
  5. Serve with hot ravioli.
Notes
I'd love to find a source for canned or frozen preboggion!