Fazzoletti With Pesto, Seaweed and Nasturtium
A dish I first cooked with the late Antonio Carluccio. He had such a special way of imparting knowledge and such a beautiful understanding of food evolution. He told me this dish reminded him of a good woman, and he loved making it all by hand. Somehow, he always got away with such statements.
I often vary the precise ingredients of the dish depending on what is available. He used cow’s milk yoghurt and parmesan, I am using sheep’s milk yoghurt and a raw milk semi hard cheese similar to pecorino. It is a fun dish to have in the repertoire.
Ingredients and Equipment
For the pasta:
250g flour
120g semolina
190g egg yolk (try Holbrook Paddock Eggs)
1 whole egg
15ml olive oil (try ALTO Olives extra virgin olive oil)
Pinch salt plus 1 TBSP for boiling (try Olsson’s Sea Salt)
For the pesto:
3g flake salt (try Olsson’s Sea Salt)
2 small garlic cloves (try Russell, the Good Garlic Guy)
25g basil
20g parsley
10g dill
20g pecora mezza cheese (try Percora Dairy)
20g pinenuts
50ml extra virgin olive oil (try ALTO Olives extra virgin olive oil)
Cracked pepper
1 TBSP sheep’s milk yoghurt
Garnish:
Nasturtium leaves
Toasted seaweed sheets
This recipe was cooked on equipment and appliances by Carriageworks Partner Smeg Australia.
Method
For the pasta:
Sift flour and semolina together and make a pile on a neat work surface. Create a well in the middle. Combine the egg, oil and salt and mix well. Tip into the well and start working in flour until a firm moist dough is achieved. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth, wrap tightly in cling film and allow to rest in fridge for 6-12 hours.
Once rested roll through a pasta machine, gradually getting down to number 1, then book fold onto itself to create a neat rectangle. Repeat twice more. This process of lamination will provide elastic strength which is great when working with thin pasta forms.
For the pesto:
In a mortar and pestle combine garlic and salt and bash a few times. Add herbs and give a good mix and grind. Add toasted pinenuts (fridge cold). Add finely grated cheese and mix well. Add oil and mix well. Season to taste with pepper.
Finish with yoghurt just before serving.
To Serve
Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water. (I often toss a bit of flour into the water to help with some starchy water to finish sauce).
Lift pasta out into a warm bowl or pan and a spoon of cooking water. Add the pesto and mix well. Serve immediately into a bowl and finish with nasturtiums and pieces of seaweed.
All ingredients available at the Carriageworks Farmers Market every Saturday.