Malloreddus with Sorrel Pesto
Malloreddus is a beautiful, hand formed pasta that hails from the southern Italian island of Sardinia. It’s also often referred to as gnochetti sardi, or cavatelli, and like many pastas the naming of them varies massively from region to region. Malloreddus are made from 100% durum wheat semolina flour, or semola rimacinata and warm water. It is also common and typical for saffron to be added to the dough to give the pasta a yellow hue.
Sorrel is a versatile leafy green with an intense, lemon-like tang. The word sorrel translates from the French word for sour, which is really quite spot on as far as descriptors go. Sorrel has a long season, so it’s easy to grow but also not too difficult to find year-round. Think of it like a zesty spinach.
This take on pesto uses a couple of anchovy fillets for a smack of umami and salt that works really well with the lemon profile of sorrel. Whip this up in a matter of minutes and toss it through hot pasta for a delicious dish.
Malloreddus with Sorrel Pesto
Serves four
Ingredients
Malloreddus
400g durum wheat semolina flour
200ml warm water
Sorrel Pesto
65g sorrel leaves
35g basil leaves
40g pine nuts
1 garlic clove
3 anchovy fillets
80ml mild/light olive oil
40g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
Method
For the pasta dough
Place the semolina flour in a mound on your work surface and make a well in the centre. Pour the water into the well.
Using a fork start whisking until you have a thick custard-like consistency, incorporating a little bit of flour at a time as you do.
Switch to a bench scraper and start to flip the flour from the outer edge over and onto the centre, using a cutting motion to then mix it in. Continue to do this around all sides until you have a shaggy dough.
Begin kneading the dough vigorously for a good 10 minutes until the dough is springy and elastic, and not sticking to your hands at all
Cover and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping.
Shaping the Malloreddus
Cut off 1/8 of the rested dough (make sure to keep the rest covered while you work), and roll it into a rope about 1/4” thick
Cut the rope into thumbnail sized pieces around 1-2cm thick, depending on your preference for size
Using a gnocchi board (or a fork if you don’t have one), place one piece at a time at the side closest to you, then using your thumb press into the dough and roll it away from you. Repeat with the rest of the dough following the same process.
Place the malloreddus on a lightly floured board or plate and cover with a clean, dry tea towel until you’re ready to use.
Need a visual? Check out this video.
Sorrel Pesto
Place all of the ingredients apart from the Parmigiano Reggiano in a food processor or blender, along with 1-2 small ice cubes (this is to keep the pesto super green and vibrant). Add a big pinch of salt.
Blend/pulse until just combined. You can also blend this into a smoother paste if you like - it’s all personal preference.
Transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the grated Parmigiano by hand.
Finishing touches
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to boil before adding the pasta.
It will take around 5 minutes to cook, but make sure you try it to check as semolina pasta tends to be a bit chewier, so the level of al dente is really down to personal taste.
Reserve a 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Add the pesto to a large bowl (if you have a metal mixing bowl even better, as it retains the heat nicely), followed by the drained malloreddus pasta.
Drizzle in some of the reserved pasta water and toss to coat. Use just enough water to loosen the pesto.
Divide between bowls, and serve with extra grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
