Walnut pesto croxetti with peas

Croxetti, also called corzetti, is a round, flat pasta 600 mm in diameter and 1,5 mm thick pasta (it looks like a large 14th c. coin) from Liguria made purely from water and flour (there are, of course, some versions with eggs). When the rounds are made, they are stamped with wooden stamps that used to have the family’s coat of arms, but their idea and name derives from the Piedmontese coin corset. It is best served with oily sauces like pesto.

I have always loved the various shapes of pasta – especially the many local ones that you sometimes cannot get in other countries, or you can get them in local shops, where some passionate people have brought them to you. When I saw Morelli pasta – all the shapes and sizes, I knew right away that I wanted them, be it orecchiette, croxetti, busiate or any of the others. They just taste so, so good. And I was happy to create a recipe and take pictures for a company that imports them to Latvia, because it was pure pleasure to work with such a high quality product.

Ingredients

220 g croxetti pasta
160 g peas
handful basil leaves
20 g finely grated grana Padano cheese
freshly ground pepper to taste

pesto:
50 g good quality walnuts
20 g basil leaves
20 g rucola leaves
80 ml very mild extra virgin olive oil
2 peeled medium garlic cloves
60 g Grana Padano cheese, finely chopped
1/2 zest of an organic orange, finely grated
sea salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste

Prepare

Prepare the pesto. Place all the ingredients, except cheese and salt, in a blender and process on a slow/medium speed until you have a smooth sauce with some bigger bits of nuts. Add cheese and blend again until it is incorporated. Season with salt to your liking and mix once more.

Boil the pasta according the directions on the package, and 1 - 2 minutes before it is done, add the peas. Drain, mix everything with pesto (the amount you use depends on you; I like it to be coated but not heavily, but others like more). Sprinkle with cheese, basil leaves, and freshly ground pepper.

Recipe and pictures: Signe Meirane
Camera: Sony Alpha 7s