Pansotti with Walnuts

Homemade pansotti is stuffed with chard and borage sautéed in olive oil and garlic and combined with pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, nutmeg, and marjoram leaves in this healthy gourmet recipe. The dish is seasoned with a delicious sauce made with walnuts, whole milk, breadcrumbs, garlic, olive oil, nutmeg, and Parmesan cheese. Serve this as a sumptuous appetizer or a light and nutritious main course paired with a bottle of Pigato dei Massaretti.

An Italian type of pasta stuffed with preferred ingredients similar to ravioli or tortelli, pansotti is made of a two-inch square dough folded into two with filling sealed inside, forming a triangle. The edges of the pasta can be cut straight or serrated for presentation and for a different sensation in the palate. Pansotti can be stuffed with vegetables, meat, mushrooms, and spices and make a filling pasta meal. This is a vegetarian dish that makes a light yet satisfying dish.

You only need flour and eggs to make simple dough for making the pansotti. For best results, use semolina flour, which is the preferred flour for making pasta. You can also use unbleached all-purpose flour if you can’t find semolina or if it is not available although the pasta will taste more like dough compared to commercially made pasta. Some Italian groceries or specialty stores may carry pansotti dough that is premade, which you only need to stuff and cook. This usually takes more time to cook until tender compared to freshly homemade pasta.

Chard and borage have a pleasantly bitter taste that is balanced by the nuts, cream and spices used in this recipe. Because of the ingredients used, the dish is intense and mild at the same time. It also has a wonderful texture of crunch and softness that is quite pleasurable in the palate.

Ingredients

For the dough:
2/3 lb. flour
3 eggs

For the stuffing:
1/2 lb. chard
½ cup borage
2 spoons pure cold-pressed olive oil
1/2 garlic clove
1 spoon pine nuts, nutmeg
1.8 oz. parmesan cheese
3.5 oz. cream cheese
salt
10 marjoram leaves

For the sauce:
3.5 oz. walnuts
3.5 oz. whole milk
1.8 oz. bread crumbs
1/2 garlic clove
1 oz. pure cold pressed olive oil
salt, nutmeg
0.88 oz. parmesan cheese

1. Mix the flour and eggs and knead until smooth. Spread the dough as thin and even as possible without breaking, using a rolling pin or pasta machine.

2. Clean the greens well and pat dry. In a pan, heat olive oil and sauté the garlic. Add the greens. Season with salt to taste and turn to high heat. Keep the lid on the pan for 5 minutes.

3. Mix the cooked greens, pine nuts, ricotta, Parmesan, and a pinch of nutmeg.

4. Cut rolled out dough into squares of about 2 inches each. Place a small amount of filling in the middle of each, fold into two forming a triangle, and close the sides by squeezing the edges. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add 2 tbsp (30 mL) salt. Drop the pansotti into the water and cook until the pasta is tender, about 3 to 4 minutes.

5. Soak the breadcrumbs in a bowl filled with milk. In a bowl, mix the walnuts, garlic, oil, salt, a pinch of nutmeg, and Parmesan. Drain the bread and blend it into this sauce until creamy. Just before serving, dilute with some spoons of the pasta cooking water. Do not preheat the sauce before serving.

6. Serve the vegetable-stuffed pansotti with the sauce poured over the dish.

Greek Pasta Salad

If you’re looking for a new salad dish that you can eat no matter what time of day, a Greek Pasta Salad will never disappoint you. This is because a Greek salad is always refreshing and inspiring. You can use this Greek Pasta Salad recipe to prepare dinner for a group of friends at your home. This Greek Pasta Salad was adapted from CraftCycle. It makes use of a fresh lime-juice dressing which produces more flavour. For a healthier option, you may use whole-wheat pasta. The ingredients you need for this recipe include whole-wheat penne pasta, red onion, cucumber, cherry or grape tomatoes, black and green olives, feta cheese, lime juice, olive oil, black pepper, oregano, and garlic cloves.

Ingredients

1 box (16 oz.) whole-wheat penne pasta
1 small red onion, chopped
1 medium cucumber, sliced
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup each black and green olives
6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1 tbsp. lime juice, preferably fresh
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 small cloves garlic, minced

1. Follow instructions on package to cook pasta.

2. Mix all the vegetables together in a mixing bowl, while the pasta is cooking. Add cheese.

3. When pasta is ready, make sure to drain liquid. Add cooked pasta to the bowl.

4. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Thoroughly whisk ingredients together. Generally pour over pasta, making sure to coat everything.

5. Stir carefully, until each salad ingredient is well incorporated. Serve. 

Pizza Lovers

When people think of pizza, there are several things that may come to mind. It may remind them of their childhood, high school, or even college party days. Whatever the case may be, this food has been a part of people's lives for a long time. It may not be an everyday thing, but they are sure to remember how it made their party a little more enjoyable or their late-night at home a little more fulfilling. One of the reasons for its popularity is due to the fact that is has been around for a very long time.

Although many have tried, no one can really say exactly who created pizza. What we do know is that it was created centuries ago. Many food history buffs have also found that people in many ancient civilizations, including the Greeks and the Egyptians, ate foods similar to this dish. Even though historians have not been able to locate the exact conception of this meal, they have been able to trace the inception of the modern form of this dish back to 1889 as a creation of a Grecian baker named Raffaele Esposito.

Pizza later became popular in other countries like the United States, England, and Spain after World War II. This was due to the fact that many of the soldiers were in Italy, where they had the opportunity to taste the meal for the very first time. Although this occurrence is what made the food item popular, it is not responsible for its original existence in these countries. In the United States, for instance, many Italian immigrants were already offering the saucy dish in their stores before the war even began. However, the soldiers' desire for the food once they returned home is what sparked an even greater interest.

Today, pizza has become one of the most well-known and sought after food items in the United States. It is eaten at parties, family gatherings, and even consumed as a dinner time meal. The food is even more popular because of how diverse it can be. Some restaurants and local businesses offer more than just pepperoni and sausage as toppings. For instance, there may be a choice of unusual toppings such as shrimp, chicken, spinach, black beans, or potatoes, just to name a few. There are even dessert options. Although pizza was a meal that was first conceived a very long time ago, it has still stood the test of time. It's difficult to go to any city, especially in America, and not find at least a few restaurants that offer it. Not only has it maintained its existence, but also it has evolved into one of the most widely-known foods in the world.