Spaghetti with walnuts, Sorrento style: the recipe

Sorrento is a land of lemons, but also of walnuts: the Sorrento walnut is a renowned variety, grown for generations on the hills of the peninsula, and in the kitchen it goes into cakes, liqueurs and pasta too. Spaghetti con le noci is a rustic, very quick first course, the kind you make with whatever is in the larder: walnut kernels toasted in garlic-scented oil, an anchovy that melts into the sauce and plenty of fresh parsley.

The recipe comes from Nonna Rosaria's collection; she recommends enjoying her dishes in good company, with a glass of local wine or liqueur.

Ingredients

Serves 6:

• 500 g spaghetti
• 100 g shelled walnuts
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 anchovy
• olive oil
• plenty of parsley

Method

1. In a frying pan, brown the crushed garlic clove in the oil; as soon as it turns golden, remove it and add the walnut kernels in its place.
2. Cook the walnuts over a moderate heat for three or four minutes, taking care: even after you turn off the heat, the oil contained in the kernels keeps toasting them.
3. At the end, add the anchovy, which will break up in the heat.
4. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti al dente and drain it, leaving it slightly moist.
5. Tip it into the pan with the sauce and toss well, adding lots of chopped parsley.

Our tip

Turn off the heat a moment earlier than you think: burnt walnuts turn bitter and spoil the dish. If the pasta seems dry, keep back a little of the cooking water and add a splash while tossing. Walnut lovers will also find walnut cake in the Sorrento tradition, as well as nocino, the dark, aromatic liqueur to round off the meal, just as Nonna would suggest. More traditional pasta dishes await in our guide to Sorrento cuisine and in Sorrento's restaurants.