Culinary borage leaves
Borage leaves bring a green filling to Ligurian pansoti. Their broad, textured leaves are cooked, squeezed and finely chopped before being mixed with fresh cheese and other herbs.
- The ingredient
- Culinary leaves, not borage oil or seeds.
- For pansoti
- Borage can be paired with chard in the filling.
Cook, squeeze and chop
Wash the culinary leaves and remove tough stems. Cook them according to the recipe, then drain, cool and squeeze firmly. Finely chopped greens blend more evenly with prescinsêua and grated cheese.
Greens in Ligurian pasta
Borage is one of the greens used for pansoti. A measured borage-and-chard filling is a practical combination; the wider Ligurian herb mixture called prebuggion varies and is not simply another name for spinach.
A filling that holds together
Let the cooked greens cool before adding egg and fresh curd. Keep the filling compact enough for a small mound, leaving clean edges of pasta to seal around it.
Cook with it
Buy leaves for the kitchen
Choose borage sold for culinary use by a greengrocer or food supplier. Look for fresh leaves and check whether the recipe’s weight refers to whole bunches or cleaned leaves.
Keep fresh leaves cool
Refrigerate the leaves according to the supplier’s directions and prepare them promptly. Keep cooked greens covered and refrigerated until they are used in the filling.
