Salsa di Noci

Walnut Sauce

Walnuts are widely used in Italian cookery in a variety of preparations, best known being the recipes from Liguria.

1/2 lb. walnuts, shelled
2 oz. fresh, crustless bread
3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs. fresh marjoram
salt
1 clove garlic
1 cup cream

Scald the walnuts, and peel off the skins. Dip the bread in water and squeeze out most of it. In a mortar pound the walnuts together with the bread, garlic, marjoram and salt to achieve a smooth paste. Place the mixture into a mixing bowl, drip in the olive oil, stirring constantly. Add the cream, stir well.

This sauce is ready to use. In the original Ligurian recipe, soured milk, called prescinseua in dialect, is added instead of cream. Prescinseua can be replaced with plain yoghurt.

This sauce is very good with stuffed pasta pansotti or with roasted or boiled white meats.