Walnut and Pancetta Pansoti with Asparagus in Parmesan Broth (Page 237)

RECIPE #1189

• Date: Saturday, July 10, 2010 -- 7pm
• Location: East Lansing, MI
• Kitchen: Our New House!
• Dining Companion: Matty
• Recipe Rating: B
  

I chose this recipe because I wanted to finish off the Pastas, Noodles, and Dumplings section of The Book. This recipe was a pain in the butt, hence I left it for last. A very brief summary: first I made a pancetta walnut filling for the pansoti. Then I made a broth to serve them in. Then I made fresh pasta. I formed the pansoti and cooked them in boiling water. Meanwhile I cooked some asparagus, first in boiling water, then in oil. Finally I assembled all the components and served. This recipe was a lot of fuss, and the end result was not as delicious as I expected. For one thing (and this is a complaint I have had several times throughout this project) the pasta was too thin. The Book instructs you to roll the dough through the second-narrowest setting on a pasta maker. I have the Kitchen-Aid attachment pasta maker and that setting is too thin for filled pasta. My major complaint with this recipe, however, was that it was too salty. I LOVE salt, so this is a complaint that I very, very rarely make. In this case the combination of the pancetta and Parmigiano-Reggiano made the dish too salty, even for me. My special gentleman didn't like the fact that the pansoti were served in broth. He would have preferred a nice sauce rather than the thin broth, and I agreed. All that said, it still tasted good. I wouldn't make it again though -- not worth the effort.

The recipe is here.

Another section done! Whoo hoo! I love, love, love pasta, so I am sad to see this section go, but I am very happy to be making some progress, checking off the sections one by one. This section had 56 recipes in it, and now they are all done!

In no particular order, my top five favorite recipes from this section:

• Pasta Primavera -- Hands-down the best pasta primavera I have ever had. An absolutely fantastic rendition of a dish that I think is usually pretty blah when you order it at a restaurant. This is so good, in fact, that I have already made it twice!
• Chicken Tetrazzini -- Chicken, noodles, mushrooms, and cream came together in this dish to form complete fabulousness. So good! Indeed, just thinking about it is making me hungry...
• Butternut Squash, Sage, and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Hazlenut-Brown Butter Sauce -- I suppose it is no surprise that I loved this recipe given that I love every ingredient! Butternut squash, goat cheese and brown butter are some of my favorite things. I wasn't the only one drooling over this dish though. My special gentleman's brother Wes went on and on about how much he loved it. Indeed, it was praiseworthy!
• Wild Mushroom Pierogi -- I have very fond memories of this dish and this meal. I made these pierogi with Rachel in my special gentleman's old apartment in Boston. This recipe was a super-fun group project and the resulting pierogi were extremely tasty!
• Chow Fun with Chinese Barbecued Pork and Snow Peas -- These are a number of tasty Asian recipes in The Book and this was one of them. I admit, I am partial to barbecued pork, but the noodle portion of this dish was also quite tasty. Definitely a keeper.
  

With this section complete I now have 8 sections done, and 13 left to finish! I have a couple more sections with only one recipe left in them, so hopefully I will be checking off more sections very soon.