Pasta with Walnuts

A delicious and absolutely authentic midwinter pasta dish, with a sauce that’s usually served—in Piedmont at least—with pansotti but store-bought pasta is a good short-cut.

Salt

1 thick slice Italian bread

1/2 cup milk

1 cup walnut or pecan halves

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

2 teaspoons fresh marjoram leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 pound linguine, spaghetti, or other long pasta

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Soak the bread in the milk. Combine the nuts, garlic, cheese, and marjoram in a food processor and turn the machine on. With the machine running, gradually add the oil, using just enough so that the mixture forms a very thick paste.
• Squeeze out the bread and add it to the mixture, which will be very thick. Add the milk the bread soaked in, a good sprinkling of salt and pepper, and enough water to make a saucy mixture.
• Cook the pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender but not mushy; drain it, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta-cooking water. Toss the pasta with the sauce, adding a little of the cooking water (or more olive oil) if necessary to thin the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve with more Parmesan.

MAKES: 4 servings

TIME: 20 minutes