An instant favorite

Mandilli de saea, meaning silk handkerchiefs in dialect Italian, refers to luscious sheets of fresh pasta that have been rolled super thin, then briefly cooked and tossed with fresh basil pesto. This pasta is traditional to the Ligurian coast in Italy, specifically in and around the port city of Genoa. The word mandilli is said to originate from the Arabic word ‘mandil’ meaning handkerchief, or cloth. 

I learned to make this while living in Liguria from a woman who had been making it the same way for half a century. Since then I’ve repeatedly made it when I have people over, and sometimes just for myself, because what is better than diving into a plate of fresh pasta after a killer week of work. Nothing! P.S. if you want the same effect but are short on time you could use dried lasagna sheets instead of fresh pasta.

Silk handkerchief pasta with basil pesto

Cooking time 30 minutes

Serves 4 

Fresh pasta

250g 00 flour
1 balady egg
3 balady egg yolks

Pesto

2 large handfuls of basil (around 2 cups)
2 cloves garlic
Small handful of walnuts, almonds or pine nuts
Sea salt
Half a cup of extra virgin olive oil
Handful of grated parmesan or other hard aged cheese

Pour the flour onto a clean surface and create a well in the center. Put the eggs into the well and use a fork to swirl the eggs into the flour, gradually incorporating it till you have a dough-like consistency. Knead the dough until there are no bits of egg or flower remaining. Add a little water if it seems too dry. Then leave to rest for 5 minutes.

Roll out the dough until super thin and then gently tear into pieces, roughly around 12X12cm. But don’t worry about being super precise. Don’t use a knife to cut the pasta because the rough edges that tearing creates actually help it to pick up the pesto better. Lay the sheets on a dish towel till ready to cook.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to the boil (you want at least 4 liters of water). As it heats up, make the pesto. Crush the nuts in a pestle and mortar or food processor until they have formed a creamy paste and put aside. 

Pick basil leaves from the stems and add to the pestle and mortar and a little sea salt which will help to cream the basil. Pound until you have a rough paste. 

Crush the garlic cloves and with the back of a knife then add to the basil and keep crushing further until combined. Add the nuts and half a cup of olive oil, and stir to combine. Add the parmesan and then mix a little further. Taste to see if it needs more seasoning.

Gather everyone to the table before you cook the pasta as it's best eaten as soon as it's served. When the water has boiled, add some salt and then gently lift the pasta into the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes until al dente.

Strain the pasta, keeping a little of the cooking water aside, and add to a large bowl with the pesto. Add a tablespoon of cooking water and toss quickly until the pasta is well coated in pesto. Serve immediately, topped with a little more cheese. 

Secrets to making this work

Eggs: try to use balady (organic) eggs when making fresh pasta, dough or cake batter for better flavor. Also if the eggs are super small, which naturally produced eggs often are, you can add an extra egg yolk to the recipe. 

Basil: Don’t throw out the stems! You can keep them for later to flavor tomato sauces and broths. Basil is a finicky herb and often dies quickly when refrigerated so try to buy it as close to when you will use it as possible. The best way to prolong its life is to put the stems in a small glass of water on the middle shelf of the fridge, where it won’t be too cold, covering the leaves with a paper or plastic bag. Also, pesto freezes well, so you can use up all your basil at once to make a large batch, then freeze it in small portions for later.