Village Pasta with Fetta and Walnut

Cevizli Beyaz Peynirli Erişte

 

Many people don’t realise that Turkey has its own indigenous form of pasta, handmade in villages around Anatolia for centuries.  Every now and again, I will happen across a happy group of village women gathered around tables set up in the olive grove near our home. Young and old together, the neighbourhood women mix and knead and cut pasta for hours. The chatting, gossip and fun make pasta-making as much a social event as anything, and there is always plenty to share around afterwards.

 

Typically thicker than Italian pasta, Turkish pasta is typically cut into short noodles (eriste) or made into small dumplings for use in soups or mezzes. This is Turkey’s most famous noodle dish, a favourite comfort food made simply with butter, local cheese and walnuts. My preferred version uses a very soft, creamy fetta that melts when you stir it through the hot pasta to give a gorgeous, rich sauce.  Choose a fetta cheese that is subtle rather than strong and salty in flavour, and life will be good.

 

400g       hand-made Turkish erişte pasta (substitute with thick tagliatelle,

                 broken into short strips)

50g         butter

300g       fetta cheese, (yumusak beyaz peynir), crumbled

100g       walnuts, crumbed, plus extra for garnish

                Parsley sprigs, to garnish

 

 

1. Boil your eriste for 10 minutes, then drain.

 

2. Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium pot, then add the drained eriste. Toss through the butter until well coated.

 

3. Stir through the cheese. If using soft cheese, stir until the cheese is melted. Then quickly stir through the walnuts, until well-combined.

 

4. Spoon into serving bowls, sprinkle with a little extra crumbed walnuts and top with parsley sprigs. Serve immediately.

 

Serves 4

 

 

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