If we mention Liguria, aromatic herbs and mortar in the same sentence, the mind immediately goes to pesto, the most famous basil-based sauce in the world. But as often happens, in the shadow of great celebrities there are relatives who are perhaps less known, but equally valuable. This is the case of walnut sauce!

According to some legends, rather than a mortar sister of basil pesto, walnut sauce is an old aunt, coming from distant Persia, arrived in Liguria thanks to Genoese sailors.

The abundance of walnut trees present in the region and the old tradition of pounding a few but splendid ingredients have contributed to making the “ sarsa de noxe” a 100% Ligurian recipe, subject to continuous evolutions and revisitations by different schools of thought.

Let's see how to prepare this simple but amazing dish!

Ingredients:

500 g pork tenderloin

40 g butter

130 g Salsa di Noci walnut sauce

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1/2 glass of dry white wine

salt and pepper

1 sprig of rosemary

Preparation:

1. Rub the pork thoroughly with salt and pepper.

2. In a saucepan, melt 20 g of butter, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, brown the meat evenly, all sides.

3. Pour the wine in the pan, let the alcohol evaporate for a minute, add the rosemary sprig and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, flipping the meat occasionally.

4. Once ready, remove the meat from the pan to let it rest for 5 minutes, covered with a sheet of tin foil. Also remove the rosemary sprig.

5. While the meat is resting, add the Modesti walnut sauce to the slightly reduced roast sauce and stir well. As a result, you should get a not too liquidy, not too thick sauce.

6. Slice the fillet, transfer to a serving dish and season with the resulting sauce. Serve hot,

Italians usually don't have a side dish with this course but you can pair it with rice or green salad, ruccola, etc.

Buon appetito!